West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has endured a really tough time over the past 14 months or so.
Lucas Paqueta is facing four separate charges pertaining to potential betting breaches, after allegedly picking up yellow cards on purpose whilst playing for West Ham during the 2022/23 season.
The 27-year-old Hammers star recently released a statement in response to the ongoing investigation and charges levelled at him.
Paqueta’s performances has been abysmal this season, and Julen Lopetegui really does need to drop him urgently in my opinion.
Not only is he failing to contributes positively for us inside the final third, but he has become a liability defensively.
These must be dark times for Paqueta, and now one of his countryman has piled in on him with some stinging remarks…
West Ham star Lucas Paqueta handed blow from countryman
Almost every person in Paqueta’s home country seems to be turning on him now.
Brazilian pundit Craque Neto has absolutely laid into Paqueta.
When speaking to Somos Fanaticos, the former Corinthians player and Brazil international opened up on his opinion of Paqueta.
Neto had a pop at the Brazilian national team for continuing to select the West Ham midfielder ahead of Palmeiras ace Raphael Veiga.
The pundit said, “He (Veiga) is the best left midfielder and the best player in Brazilian football for the past five years. You guys are paying homage to a guy (Paquetá) who is being investigated for yellow cards!”
“This is Brazilian football. A dirty, corrupt football and it’s disgusting that this kid isn’t the number 10 of the national team.”
“He (Veiga) doesn’t get injured, he doesn’t get red cards, he doesn’t complain, he had to play as a right winger, a defensive midfielder, he was loaned out… this kid has become one of the greatest players in Brazilian football and he’s not going to the National Team.“
“How many years have we not had such a consistent player? He’s a good guy, a good professional… this boy has everything a football team needs!”
Whilst Neto’s words will be a crushing blow for Paqueta personally, the pundit is actually spot on.
In fairness to Veiga, he has produced the goods for Palmeiras for years now.
The 29-year-old has bagged 98 goals and 42 assists in 315 games for the Brazilian giants.
That’s 140 goals combinations in 315 games – a goal or an assist every 2.25 games.
Meanwhile, Paqueta has bagged 15 goals and 14 assists in 94 games for the Hammers – a goal contribution every 3.25 games.
So Neto certainly has a point.
The West Ham fans will be the first to tell you that Lucas Paqueta has been in really poor form this season.
In fact, he was fairly poor last term as well in all fairness.
He obviously has off-field problems that he’s dealing with, but if those issues are affecting him that much, then he simply shouldn’t be starting for West Ham or Brazil, end of story.
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