Among the crowd of 66,215 who watched Brazil and France square off Thursday at Gillette Stadium was a large contingent of Celtics players, coaches and staffers.
Jayson Tatum flipped the coin at midfield before the international soccer friendly, and the team watched the match from a luxury box.
“(It) was great,” Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez said Friday at morning shootaround. “Amazing game. Two powerhouses for the World Cup in the United States this summer, so it was amazing.”
The result was not so amazing for Boston head coach Mazzulla, a soccer aficionado who was rooting hard for Brazil. France won 2-1 on goals by Kylian Mbappe and Hugo Ekitike.
“He was diehard for Brazil, I think,” Gonzalez said, “and it wasn’t the result that he wanted, that’s for sure. But he likes soccer a lot. We share that passion, I would say, so it was great.”
Joe was so locked in 🔒 pic.twitter.com/OHzClroZzH
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 27, 2026
Mazzulla, who often shows clips from other sports in team meetings to emphasize his coaching points, said the off-day excursion was more of a team-building activity than a scouting trip. But he did mention how Mbappe’s opening goal illustrated the importance of possession.
“The first goal of the game was off a counterattack on a turnover in the middle of the field,” the coach said before the Celtics hosted the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at TD Garden. “So, it’s the same (as basketball). You can’t turn the ball over. You’ve got to value possession and get more shots than the other team. Which, Brazil did get more shots, but the counterattack, possession in the midfield (are) kind of similar. Little stuff like that.”
During a pre-match meetup, Gonzalez swapped jerseys with Mbappe, the French forward who stars for Real Madrid in La Liga. Gonzalez spent years with Real Madrid’s basketball club before being drafted by the Celtics last June.
“Maybe I gave him a little bit of luck,” the 20-year-old Spaniard joked. “Even though he doesn’t need it.”
.@KMbappe in Boston ⚽️☘️@realmadrid 🤝 @RMBaloncesto pic.twitter.com/CfbCT1pRT8
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 26, 2026
Gonzalez also met another Real Madrid alum, Brazilian defensive midfielder Casemiro, after the game.
Gillette Stadium — which will be temporarily rebranded as Boston Stadium for the tournament — is scheduled to host seven FIFA World Cup matches later this year, beginning with a Haiti-Scotland clash on June 13.