Brazil have left a thank-you message to the World Cup host city of Sochi, where the team were based during the tournament’s group stage. They shared a grateful post from their official Twitter account.
“Starting from now, the Brazil squad says goodbye to her home in Russia and travels from city to city at every stage of the World Cup,” read the tweet, which was accompanied by several photos of smiling Brazilian players.
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In a specially organized farewell ceremony, Mayor of Sochi Anatoly Pakhomov presented Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) President Rogerio Caboclo with a Russian doll depicting a sea port and Sochi tea, the world’s most northern tea, which grows in Russia’s southern resort.
Spasiba, Sochi! / Obrigado, Sochi! 👋🇷🇺A partir de agora a #SeleçãoBrasileira se despede da sua casa na Rússia e viaja de cidade em cidade a cada fase da #Copa2018 pic.twitter.com/QCXk0kzfQc
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) July 4, 2018
The Samba Boys returned the compliment by giving Pakhomov a yellow football jersey, which was signed by all the players competing at the World Cup.
“The Brazilian team liked Sochi very much,” Pakhomov said, TASS reported. “They highly praised the city, the sea and the training base. They were also impressed with Sochi’s hospitality. They were satisfied with everything in Sochi.”
The five-time World Cup champions have already arrived in Kazan, where they will play their quarter-final game against Belgium on July 6.