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Arthur Steps Away From Barcelona For National Team, A Typical Club-And-Country Conflict For Brazilians

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Brought off after 65 minutes, Arthur Melo was clearly fatigued. Giving the ball away on the edge of Sevilla’s box and then his own, it was fortunate that nothing came of the attacks he afforded the opposition and that the 4-0 scoreline meant the tie was already out of their reach in any event. 

The 23-year-old was denied the chance to make it an unprecedented run, by his standards, of four consecutive 90-minute outings.

Changing his fitness approach after the Copa America and pleasing the club with a more professional approach, he has blasted through 2019/2020 in top form and supplied two assists in a matter of minutes for Arturo Vidal and Ousmane Dembélé at the Camp Nou on Sunday. 

While Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi will not report for international duty this week and were able to complete the Blaugrana’s last fixture from start to finish, Ernesto Valverde may have also brought Arthur off aware of the gruelling responsibilities that lay ahead of him. 

Getting back into the good books after attending Neymar’s birthday party in Paris before El Clasico, which resulted in a hamstring injury that ruled him out of key fixtures last term, Arthur has again risked incurring the wrath of top brass by embarking on what Catalonia’s SPORT has branded a “senseless” 13,500-mile round trip to Singapore. 

As part of the Chevrolet-sponsored Brasil Global Tour, the world-famous Seleção will rock up in the city-state as part of a ‘physically demanding’ jaunt where players from the país do futebol will have to battle though 30 degree heat and ‘humidity of around 80 percent,’ lamented Joaquim Piera. ‘Even the Brazilian media have complained about [the fixtures],’ he added.  

Addressing the matter himself, Melo was defiant. ‘I understand Barcelona’s side [of the argument], but for me and everyone it’s an honour, a huge honour,’ it was said. ‘It’s no different for me. Whenever I can, I’m not going to measure my efforts. I’m going to do everything I can to come [and travel] with Brazil.’ 

Chasing his first goal for the national team while having already netted twice this season for Barça, the row is typical of that Brazilians find themselves wedged in between club and country. While it is indeed the highest honour for them to pull on the fabled yellow and green, featuring for an elite club such as Barcelona and contesting the Champions League is not far off.

In times of globalisation, the competition is just as highly regarded as the World Cup by those chasing their dreams in Latin America’s largest country. To reach the highest echelons of the club game, they must flee their homeland while simultaneously its soccer federation, the CBF, sells the national team off to the highest bidder without a second thought as to the logistics. 

Joining Melo in Southeast Asia, Atletico Madrid’s Renan Lodi was thrust into a similar predicament. Joining from boyhood outfit Athletico-Parananese in the summer, the left-back has been a revelation in the Spanish capital but has admitted to difficulties adapting. Furthermore, he was hurt by Diego Simeone’s decision not to let him join the U23 Olympic team. 

‘I told my  fiancée, 'let's go back to Brazil, I can't take it anymore',’ Lodi admitted to Brazilian media outlet Globoesporte. ‘It all came together at once - I missed my friends and my family. I wanted to go away, yet the club wouldn’t let me,’ added Lodi. 

Ever the man-manager, Lodi explained that Simeone approached him after training and asked him how felt. ‘I told him I was sad because my dream was to go to the Brazilian [U23] team,’ explained Lodi. ‘Then he told me that we [would] work towards going with the main team,’ he finished. 

The Argentine kept his word, with Lodi called immediately to Brazil’s next senior squad. He will not however be able to represent his country in Tokyo this year as it defends its Olympic gold crown. 

As for Arthur, it is hoped he arrives back from the Far East in good enough shape to star in a top-of-the-table clash against Real Madrid over a fortnight from now after away trips to Eibar and Slavia Prague.   

Unless the CBF begins to have more consideration for the European and South American club calendar when arranging the Brasil Global Tour's e counters, don’t expect this conflict to simmer down any time soon.