With three World Cup champions side by side, South America could be a place for fierce rivalry between Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. But as time goes by, we see more and more people supporting their neighbours’ national team.
This is the case of Hull City striker Abel Hernandez, who in an interview with Globo Esporte this weekend, has revealed his affection for Brazil.
Hernandez has the face of Ronaldo tattooed on his leg, and when interviewed by a Brazilian outlet, that was obviously the first question asked by the reporter.
“The first World Cup I lived was in 1998,” Hernandez told Globo Esporte. “Since Uruguay did not participate, I supported Brazil. It was when Ronaldo did his best things and, from there, he became my biggest idol. He’s the best 9 in history.”
Hernandez was only going to have a tattoo of Ronaldo’s face when he personally met him, but when he did, he wasn’t able to talk much.
“We were on a flight from Paris to São Paulo. I was very nervous, could not speak much, or say anything about the tattoo. I asked to take a picture with him, plus an autograph. I was going to present myself to the Uruguayan national team for a game of the qualifiers. The day after I left, I went to the tattoo artist with Ronaldo’s autograph and got the tattoo.”
The Hull City player was also asked if he would like to play for a Brazilian club in the future, and his answer was pretty positive.
“Sure enough, I would like to play for Corinthians, where Ronaldo retired. Without a doubt, I would also play for Flamengo, which is a great club, where Ronaldinho played. They are the two Brazilian teams that I like most. It would be nice to play in Brazil.”
