On Tuesday evening, Brazil’s national football team beat Argentina 1-0 in Saudi Arabia‘s four-team friendly tournament SuperClásico. But football wasn’t the only thing the players got up to while in the Kingdom.
Ahead of the final match, which took place at King Abdullah Sports City, Brazil’s Neymar Jr., Marquinhos, and Renato Augusto decided to get their adrenaline pumping by going dune-bashing in the Kingdom’s desert. Twenty-six-year-old forward Neymar Jr, who plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain, shared a picture with his 103 million Instagram followers with the location set as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The photo featured himself and his teammates posing against the dark backdrop of sand dunes and embracing the local culture, pairing their national team’s football kit with traditional Saudi ghutras expertly wrapped around their heads.
Brazil’s Angry Bird mascot, Canarinho, also made sure to make the most of its time in the Gulf country by riding a camel ahead of a team meal at which a handful of the Brazilian players were photographed wearing traditional Saudi garbs.
No meio da rotina de treinos, a #SeleçãoBrasileira encontrou um tempinho pra viver um jantar típico, que contou até com o #Canarinho montado em um camelo. 😂🐥🇧🇷
Noite especial e de pura alegria! #GigantesPorNatureza pic.twitter.com/UlTeEbDgxI
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) October 15, 2018
The “Samba Boys” weren’t the only ones taking in the deep-rooted Saudi culture. Shortly after defeating Iraq 4-0 at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Team Argentina embarked on a historical journey of Riyadh by touring The Masmak, a 19th century clay and mud-brick fortress previously inhabited by the late King Abdulaziz. The team also enjoyed a visit to the capital’s National Museum of Saudi Arabia, where they got to explore historical exhibitions dedicated to pre-Islamic Arabian kingdoms, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the establishment of the first Saudi state, and more.
📄| زيارة المنتخب الأرجنتيني شملت التجول في أرجاء قصر المصمك والإستماع لشرح عن تاريخه ومقتنياته..#نجوم_العالم_في_السعودية #SuperClasico pic.twitter.com/AjWCsB9oMG
— الاتحاد السعودي لكرة القدم (@saudiFF) October 13, 2018
Last week’s tournament was the first SuperClásico to be held in Saudi Arabia. The four-team mini championship is the first of a number of sporting events that are set to take place in the Kingdom as the temperatures continue to dial down.
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