By Alfredo Di Cesare
04 Aug 2024, 13:49 PM EDT
The 2024 Copa América was no stranger to Real Madrid stars like Brahim Díaz. Weeks after the tournament in the United States ended, the winger confessed that Colombia, Uruguay and Brazil were the teams that surprised him the most.
In an exclusive interview with Diario de Nueva York, Díaz revealed that his love for football led him to follow the competition closely despite the significant time difference. Before leaving with Real Madrid for the preseason that they are already playing in the United States, the Moroccan did not hesitate to recognize that the Copa América is a spectacle of magnitude.
“With the time difference, there are some matches that were more difficult, but I have been watching them. I like football, I love it. In the Copa América, the truth is that there are always good matches and teams,” he said from Spain.
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Brahim had no problem showing himself to be in love with the football played by the Colombian team during the Copa América. “I was obviously surprised, like everyone else, by Colombia. It is a great team. They played very good and beautiful football,” he confessed before mentioning the great tournament that James Rodríguez had.
The Colombian midfielder played for Real Madrid from 2014 to 2020. Since then, his career has not reached such a high peak. However, the 2024 Copa América happened again. James experienced a second youth and led Colombia to the final with six assists and a goal. “A friend who was there with me, James too. I was very happy to see how well he was doing,” he said.
Fede Valverde’s Uruguay
Another of the teams that Brahim Díaz followed closely was the Celeste of his friend and teammate Federico Valverde. The Merengue winger gave a small mention of honour to the Charrúas.
“Obviously, Uruguay because of Fede Valverde, who is a great friend,” he said about the third place obtained by Marcelo Bielsa’s team, which was one of the favourites.
“Brazil had bad luck”
If Colombia and Uruguay surprised Díaz with their great form and good style of play, Brazil did the opposite. The Canarinha were one of the disappointments of the tournament despite having reached the quarter-finals.
However, Brahim confessed to Diario de Nueva York that it all comes down to bad luck during the tournament. The Real Madrid player believes that the ‘Verdeamarela’ has a very complete team with great individualities.
“Brazil was unlucky because they have a great team and they give a lot of trouble as they always do because they thrive with the ball at their feet,” he said.
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