Bayern Munich of Germany’s Nigerian-born defender, David Olatokunbo Alaba has disclosed that he put aside rivalry and hostility with an opponent in order to placate Paris-Saint Germaine of France star, Neymar after the UEFA Champions League final because he felt sympathy for him, megasportsarena.com reports.
Alaba recalled that he put aside any thought of pride or mockery in reaching out to comfort the Brazilian star as a human being; which is why he rushed to console the former Barcelona of Spain ace and put his arm round his shoulder when he saw the opposing player weeping after the final whistle of the match in Lisbon Portugal.
While many other Bayern players jumped around and sprinted in celebration, Alaba simply went over to Neymar at the end of his team’s 1-0 win; during which the star with the world’s highest transfer fee ever had chances to score for PSG but was denied more than once by The Bavarians’ goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, who ended up being voted man of the match.
Although Neymar did not appear to welcome the favour nor did he reciprocate in the thick of the disappointment, many observers praised Alaba for his sportsmanship, and the left-back with a Nigerian father and mother from The Philippines has now explained that he felt the burden on the shoulders of the opposing attacker and he must have been sad to have let his team down.
Alaba, who also helped his side complete a famous treble, as they had earlier won the German Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, added that he was amazed seeing that Neymar played the game with a smile on his face, only to cry at the end, told Bayern Podcast: “It turned out that way. He’s a player who has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, who carries a large burden, who carries the whole club.”
