Back in August, with his club-side Tottenham Hotspur leading Nottingham Forest two goals to nil, and with six minutes left for the full-time whistle, Richarlison—the scorer now of two delicious World Cup Finals goals—indulged in a bit of showboating, or what Jamie Carragher described at the time, with little regard for the term’s etymological origins, as shithousery. After receiving the ball on the left wing, the Brazilian performed a series of keepie-uppies, before laying the ball off to a teammate. Suitably wound up, the moment the ball came back to Richarlison, a Forest player was rapidly on to him to knock both his feet off the ground. There was no intention to tackle Richarlison legitimately, and yet the reaction from the English press said it all: the Brazilian had displayed a lack of respect for the opponent and deserved the instant justice meted out to him.
“It does wind people up. You can’t do that. But what is he doing? He just winds people up that lad, Richarlison,” said Carragher on commentary. “He winds me up. What do you expect Johnson to do? You’re not condoning that but…” The Nottingham Forest manager, Steve Cooper was equally scathing: “I wouldn’t want my players to do that, what Richarlison did. If that is accepted at Spurs that is nothing to do with me, but it wouldn’t be accepted here.” West Ham’s manager David Moyes pitched in for good measure too: “I think football in all countries there’s no room for ball juggling whether it is in this one or any other ones, or whether it be in non-league or the Premier League. If you are talented enough to do that, you need to be strong enough to take the hits.” The message was clear enough: football wasn’t meant to be joyous, it was serious business, and if you indulged in a bit of showboating, the opponent would be justified in using the crudest possible means available to stop you in your tracks.
A few weeks later, and we’re at the the Round of 16 knockout match between Brazil and South Korea. Right from the off-go, Brazil’s forwards are purring. The interplay between Richarlison, Neymar, Vinicius Jr., and Raphinha is a sight to behold. Brazil go 2-0 up almost in an instant, the first scored through a beautifully placed finish from Vinicius and the second a cheeky penalty from Neymar (won through Richarlison’s quick thinking and even quicker feet). But the third, which follows soon thereafter, is a thing of beauty, a team goal of the highest quality. Richarlison is once again at the heart of it, both starting and ending the move.
When the ball gets headed out beyond the edge of the South Korean box, Richarlison takes one touch at it with the back of his head, and then proceeds to juggle the ball four times, with three consecutive touches coming off his forehead—bringing to mind Kerlson’s famous “dribble da foquinha” or “seal dribble” as it was called in English. Having juggled the ball thus, Richarlison lays it off to Marquinhos, who proceeds to return it in the giver’s direction. This time, the forward performs an almost-rapid dummy, running over the ball, allowing it to get through to Thiago Silva, who, in turn, threads a precise ball into the box, where Richarlison, who had by then darted diagonally inwards, takes possession. The ball is now slotted into the back of the net with consummate ease, and Brazil lead 3-0.
The keepie-uppie, as Richarlison establishes here, has a definite place in football. And in moments such as this, it can be nothing short of thrilling to watch. If the South Koreans were wound up by it, they certainly didn’t show it on the pitch. Football’s history is littered with instances of great players performing great feats of skill. Performed at the wrong time, a skill can prove valueless, but the idea that a player is disrespecting an opponent by juggling the football when a simple pass would do is nonsense. Indeed, it speaks to a certain desire for joylessness.
That desire was just as evident in the reactions to Brazil’s celebrations. The four goals against South Korea were each followed by a choreographed dance routine with the coach Tite joining in on occasion with a little jig of his own.
“I can’t believe what I’m watching, it’s like watching Strictly [Come Dancing],” said Roy Keane on ITV. “I don’t like this. People say it’s their culture. But I think that’s really disrespecting the opposition.” Graeme Souness, echoing some of what was said on the back of the Forest game, claimed, it was “only a matter of time before someone goes right through one of these Brazilians.” Ask the fans, though, and they’d sooner be rid of the philistines in the studio than the game’s finest sleights of hand.
There was a similar brouhaha over Antony showboating and I went with the media narrative criticising it (despite being an United fan). But after reading this and watching Brazil play the way they did in the first half, gotta say I would rather have showboating in the football than not. Except if it's against the teams i support 😅