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Brazil lacks trademark firepower in scoreless draw with Ecuador

Pele used to wear the Brazil No. 10 jersey. The number was later inherited by the likes of Rivelino, Zico, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.

These were more than soccer players. They were magicians, creative geniuses who were as much artists as they were athletes.

The present-day owner of the No. 10 shirt, Neymar, was at the Rose Bowl on Saturday when Brazil opened play in the Copa America Centenario with a scoreless draw against Ecuador.

Only Neymar wasn’t on the field.

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Neymar was instead sharing a luxury suite with Justin Bieber, as Brazilian officials decided they would rather him play in the Olympics, a glorified youth tournament with minimal prestige in the world of soccer.