Neymar makes a strange move at a mathematician after Brazil beats Japan to reach the World Cup last 16.
Neymar recently took a playful jab at a mathematician who predicted Brazil would be knocked out of the World Cup in the round of 32. Brazil pulled off a great comeback to beat Japan in Houston, thanks to a late winning goal from Gabriel Martinelli that had Selecao fans cheering wildly.
Japan’s Kaishu Sano scored first in the game, but Casemiro equalized with a header after a rough first half. Martinelli came off the bench to save the day, setting up Brazil’s next match against the winner of Ivory Coast and Norway in New Jersey on Sunday.
After the win, Neymar broke his silence on social media and surprised fans by calling out mathematician Joachim Klement. On his official X account, Neymar wrote, “Mr. Joachim Klement… please try again at the next World Cup.” His post quickly gained 2.8 million views, even though Neymar didn’t play in the game.
Before the tournament, Klement had correctly guessed Brazil would lead Group C but thought Japan would knock them out next. His predictions are based on factors like each country’s GDP per capita, population size, football popularity, and recent world rankings.
Klement has a strong track record, having accurately predicted the last three World Cup winners. He called Germany in 2014, France in 2018, and Argentina in 2022, when Messi finally brought home the trophy. This year, he picked the Netherlands to win their first World Cup, beating Spain in the semi-finals and Portugal in the final in New Jersey.
However, that path won’t happen exactly as he predicted because Spain and Portugal will face each other earlier in the round of 16 if they beat Croatia and Austria. Klement also thought England would reach the semi-finals with Thomas Tuchel as coach but admitted his predictions are “completely irrational.”
“It’s like playing the lottery,” he told Der Spiegel. “If anyone bets on my prediction for the next world champion, they’re beyond help. It’s like tossing a coin—it might land on heads four times in a row, but that doesn’t guarantee it will happen again.”
So far, Neymar has played only 14 minutes in this World Cup. Coach Carlo Ancelotti said he chose not to put Neymar on in the Japan game because he didn’t want to change the team’s rhythm since Brazil had control of the match.