Over the past month, New York Red Bulls midfielder Felipe has done a lot on the field for the Red Bulls, scoring goals and stepping up his play in the center of the field. Now he’s taken on a new task, that most sacred duty that is the sixth estate. Felipe was a reporter covering the team, at least for a few moments.
While the media gathered around defender Ronald Zubar, who scored a goal on Sunday in an emphatic 4-1 win over rival New York City F.C., Felipe stood off to the side. When offered a voice recorder to join in on the media scrum, Felipe flashed a grin and instantly took the recorder. He waited patiently then asked Zubar, who had a tremendous game defensively, about scoring the game’s second goal. The French centerback, always quick with a joke, fired back that the particular question being asked was already posed earlier in the media scrum. “I want it from the player’s standpoint,” Felipe said without so much as a blink.
Zubar, with the cameras rolling, gave in to his teammate.
“It was great, man it was a great feeling. You know the feeling to score goals,” Zubar said.
Then Zubar said that he was disappointed to not get a standard goal celebration with Felipe. Very often when a Red Bull scores, Felipe will kneel down and pretend to polish the cleat of the goal scorer. It is a beloved tradition among the locker room. Zubar’s goal came on a corner kick, a head that was perfectly placed beyond NYCFC’s Josh Saunders.
“I couldn’t shine your head so I’m going to shine it now,” Felipe said, proceeding to towel off the towering Zubar