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Last summer, Casemiro helped Brazil to win their first Copa America trophy since 2007. He was due a break. A few weeks after the final, he was enjoying some rest with his family in Sao Paulo when his earth shook. It was a Saturday night. He watched on television as his Real Madrid club-mates took a beating from city rivals Atletico Madrid 7-3 in a pre-season tournament in New Jersey. What he saw made his eyes hurt.
He was due to head to Orlando, Florida, with his mother, wife, their three-year-old daughter, and his sister.