Brazilian striker Rodrigo was subjected to racist attacks after defeat to Argentina

Brazilian footballer Rodrigo revealed on Thursday evening that he had been the victim of racist attacks on social media, two days after Brazil’s home defeat to Argentina.

“Racists are always on duty. My social networks are filled with insults and all sorts of nonsense!” the striker, who plays for the Spanish club Real Madrid, wrote on social networks X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

According to Brazilian sports news portal Globo Esporte, the 22-year-old player is considering filing criminal charges after being bombarded with banana and monkey “emojis” on social media.

“If we don’t do what they want, if we don’t act the way they think we should, if we wear something that bothers them, if we don’t put our heads down when we’re attacked , if we take places that they think belong only to them, the racists will come to fight his criminal behavior,” Rodrigo complained.

“They were unlucky. We won’t stop!” – assured the forward.

Rodrigo played the entirety of Argentina’s 1-0 win in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, the Canarinhos’ first defeat at home in World Cup qualifying.

During the match, the striker had a heated argument with Argentines Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, and the start of the game was delayed by almost half an hour due to clashes between fans and police in the stands.

Following the post, Rodrigo received support from several of his Brazil team-mates, including Neymar and Vinicius Jr, who is himself a regular target of racist attacks in Spain, where he also plays for Real Madrid.

Neymar and Vinicius Jr were absent due to injury during the Superclasico against Argentina at the Maracana Stadium, which counts towards South America’s qualifying zone for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.