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Seattle Sounders vs Pumas UNAM: this is why Higor Meritao touched the Concacaf Champions League cup

By Wilian Estrella

The Brazilian midfielder was criticized for touching the tournament cup, but he gave a strong answer as to why he did it.

The Brazilian midfielder was criticized for touching the tournament cup, but he gave a strong answer as to why he did it.

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After being in the news all last week, the reason Higor Meritao touched the CONCACAF Champions League cup, before the Seattle Sounders vs Pumas UNAM match, is now known

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The Brazilian midfielder was the subject of many negative comments last week, as he did something that soccer fans consider unlucky: the player touched the Concachampions trophy.

And if there is something that is considered very bad luck in the world of soccer, it is touching a title for which you are going to compete, before you play the game you are going to compete. 

Not for nothing did Meritao receive a lot of criticism for having done this, and was even the victim of ugly and offensive comments that pointed out that by doing so, he was condemning his club to defeat.

And tired of these comments, the Brazilian player forcefully responded to his detractors. 

For this reason, Higor Meritao touched the Concacaf Champions League cup

In an interview with Mexican media, the Brazilian midfielder was asked why he touched the cup, to which he replied that he touched it because the cup belongs to Pumas

"I don't believe (in superstition) because, as we were talking about, I believe in Jesus and the word of God speaks that he took upon himself every curse and every superstition. I touched it because I believe it is ours, I touched and talked to God. If you looked, I was praying inside the field and then I touched it and started praying again because I think that God is in front of everything. I hope we become champions to break all curses". 

In this way, the player responded to those who think that after having done this, he condemned his team to failure in the final of the Concacaf Champions League.

However, the fear of the fans of the Universitarios is fed by the fact that in other tournaments, other players have touched the title before playing a decisive match, and have ended up losing the championship they were looking for.

But while this is more a belief than a fact, it is worth reviewing recent cases in which players from one team touched the cup and lost it.

Players who touched the cup and lost it

In the UEFA Champions League final in his 2005 season, Gennaro Gattuso decided to touch the trophy at halftime when his club, AC Milan, was leading Liverpool 3-0. 

But on the return from halftime, his club was equalized with goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer, and Xabi Alonso to force the match into extra time and then penalties, where the Reds were crowned.

In the 2021 Copa Libertadores, Marinho of Brazil's Santos touched the Cup just moments before the start of the match against Palmeiras, and when the match ended, the Verdão was crowned champion, giving greater force to the myth that if a player touches the cup before playing, he will lose it. 

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