Topics: Raphinha, Neymar, Brazil, Serbia, FIFA World Cup
The Selecao no.10 suffered an ankle injury in their opener vs. Serbia and will miss the remaining group-stage fixtures.

Brazil kicked off their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign with a brilliant win, beating Serbia in their opening game in Qatar, but not all was great for the Selecao in that tie.

The South American giants triumphed 2-0, with Tottenham ace Richarlison netting both goals. However, the five-time World Cup winners lost star player Neymar to a concerning injury, which sparked a furious reaction from teammate Raphinha on social media.

The PSG superstar was again on the receiving end of a few rough tackles and in the second half, the 30-year-old hurt his ankle in one of those challenges. As a result, the Selecao sensation was forced off the pitch limping and was later seen with a swollen ankle.

Fortunately, Neymar's World Cup campaign has not ended but the Brazilian talisman will miss the remainder of the group stage — clashes against Switzerland and Cameroon.

Despite this, the attacker was on the receiving end of criticism for his perceived theatrics and was afforded little protection from the referee nor was he defended by the fans. And as a result, Raphinha launched a passionate defense of his teammate.

The Barcelona summer signing, who started alongside Neymar in Tite's starting eleven, slammed his home country's fan base, accusing them of lacking loyalty towards Tite's best player. In fact, the former Leeds went a step further, claiming that Brazil do not deserve the PSG ace when considering how the likes of Messi and Cristiano are treated within their respective countries.

"The Argentina fans treat Messi like a God. The Portugal fans treat CR7 like a king. Brazil Fans encourage Ney to break his leg. The biggest mistake in Ney's career is being born in Brazil, this country does not deserve his talent," Raphinha posted on his Instagram story.

This is just the latest chapter in a tumultuous relationship between Brazil fans and their no.10. Outside of an Olympic gold medal and a 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup victory, Neymar is yet to lead his nation to silverware despite being one of the best players of this generation.

The former Santos prodigy even hit out at some Selecao fans during last year's Copa America final, which Argentina won, as some were supporting Lionel Messi over their own national team.

With three points under the belt, Tite's side should both make it to the round of 16 and win their group. Victory over Switzerland on Monday should guarantee that if Cameroon and Serbia play out a draw in the other fixture.