Neymar, funk and unique braids: Xavi Simons on his Brazilian connections

Yahoo

27-05-2025

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
Xavi Simons doesn't even need to be interviewed to make his admiration for Brazil evident.
The braids in the Dutch player's hair received a special design for RB Leipzig's tour in São Paulo, displaying the letters 'BR'.
Who dis? 🤔 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/5xIN7bgdKP
— RB Leipzig (@RBLeipzig) May 24, 2025
The affection for the country was built throughout his football career and, before reaching the hairstyle, it went through his relationship with Neymar and funk music.
Xavi also doesn't hide that he is a fan of Santos' number 10, whom he will have the opportunity to face in a friendly match scheduled for this Wednesday (28), in Bragança Paulista.
"As I always say in interviews, he was the one who inspired me when I was young. He was my idol, he is my idol. Playing with him at PSG was a dream come true and obviously now playing with him on Wednesday will be special," he stated during a press conference in São Paulo.
The Dutchman met Neymar while still in Barcelona's youth categories. Later, the two were teammates at PSG.
He saw me when I was a kid at Barcelona. We did a commercial together, for me it was a dream. This guy has already won everything and still has the hunger to try to do his best daily
Xavi SimonsEven before facing Santos, he already had the chance to meet another Brazilian who played for PSG.
Xavi watched the match between Red Bull Bragantino and Juventude in the Brasileirão from the stadium and left with a shirt from the forward Nenê, currently at the Gaucho club.
He captured the moment with a photo posted on social media accompanied by a simple and direct caption: "Legend".
His connection with Brazilian culture can also be explained by his family origin, which borders Brazilian territory.
The RB Leipzig player was born in Amsterdam but has family in Suriname, a former Dutch colony.
"I have a similar culture. My family comes from Suriname and it's kind of the same... we live football with a beautiful passion. Our country is also about football. Children dream of playing in big stadiums and being the best in the world," he compared. "The [Brazilian] food is very similar to that of my homeland, Suriname. That's why I love it," he said.
But for funk to reach his playlists, it required the influence of some Brazilian and Portuguese friends throughout his career as a player.
"I played with many Brazilian and Portuguese players. They introduced me to this music and since then I like it a lot and listen to it daily," he commented.
On the field, Xavi is another player who got a chance to grow at Leipzig and met expectations, becoming a key player for the team.
In the last two Bundesliga seasons, he was directly involved in 42 goals for the team, with 24 goals and 18 assists.
Only the Belgian Lois Openda has a better number (52) than him for RB Leipzig in the same period, with the Dutchman playing ten fewer games.
The difference in the number of matches came mainly in the season that ended this month. An ankle injury sidelined Xavi for eight rounds of the German Championship.
"I was injured for two months for the first time in my life. It was a difficult period for me and my family. I tried to recover as quickly as possible to help the team because obviously the situation wasn't good," he lamented.
The situation didn't end well for Leipzig in the Bundesliga, as they finished the championship in seventh, failing to secure a spot in any European competition.
Now recovered from physical problems, the expectation is that the Dutchman will take the field this Wednesday against Santos, possibly reuniting with his idol Neymar on the pitch.