Neymar, funk and special braids: Xavi Simons on his ties to Brazil | OneFootball

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Xavi Simons doesn't even need to be interviewed to make his admiration for Brazil evident.

The Dutch player's braids have been given a special design for RB Leipzig's tour in São Paulo, displaying the letters 'BR'.

His affection for the country was built over his football career and, before reaching the visual on his head, it passed 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 when I give interviews, it was he 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 said during a press conference in São Paulo.

The Dutchman met Neymar when he was still going through the youth categories at Barcelona. Later, the two were teammates at PSG.

Xavi Simons

Even before facing Santos, he already had the chance to admire another Brazilian with a stint at PSG.

Xavi watched the match between Red Bull Bragantino and Juventude for the Brasileirão from the stadium and left there with a shirt from the forward Nenê, currently at the club from Rio Grande do Sul.

He recorded the moment with a photo published on social networks accompanied by a simple and direct caption: "Legend".

His identification with Brazilian culture can also be explained by his family background, neighboring Brazilian territory.

The RB Leipzig player was born in Amsterdam, but has family in Suriname, a former Dutch colony that borders the states of Pará and Amapá, in the north of the country.

"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, the influence of some Brazilian and Portuguese friends throughout his career as a player was necessary.

"I played with many Brazilian and Portuguese players. They introduced me to this music and, since then, I really like it and listen to it daily," he commented.

On the field, Xavi is another player who was given a chance to grow at Leipzig and met expectations, becoming a protagonist of the team.

In the last two editions of the Bundesliga, he was directly involved in 42 of the team's goals, scoring 24 and providing 18 assists.

Only 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 mainly came in the season that ended this month. An ankle injury kept Xavi out of action for eight rounds of the German Championship.

"I was injured for two months for the first time in my life. It was a difficult time for me and my family. I tried to recover as quickly as possible to help the team, because obviously the situation was not good," he lamented.

The situation did not end well in the Bundesliga for Leipzig, which finished the championship in seventh, without securing a spot for any European competition.

Now recovered from the physical problems, the expectation is that the Dutchman will take the field this Wednesday against Santos, possibly meeting his idol Neymar on the pitch again.