Absent during a decisive match of Santos last night, the former PSG and Barça player is the target of heavy criticism in his country. Explanations.
On the night of Sunday to Monday, Santos took the door in the Paulista championship. A 2-1 defeat against Corinthians in the semi-final, which therefore deprives Neymar and his team of a possible first title in this year 2025. A match that Santos also finished with 9 players against 11, and during which the Brazilian star did not play a single minute. The fault was due to physical problems, while the former PSG and Barça player was coming back rather well and had silenced the critics, with a great performance against RB Bragantino in the quarter-finals for example. He was even called up to the national team for the next matches of the Canarinha.
“Neymar had a problem and we knew it was serious not to have his contribution in the match. It’s just a muscle problem, but it meant he couldn’t participate. It was my request and he agreed to be with the group. He’s a differentiating player, enlightened and with fantastic energy. Neymar suffered a lot from not being able to participate in the match…”, confided his coach Pedro Caixinha after the match. However, on Santos’ side, the explanation given by the coach does not justify everything and does not convince everyone…
Criticism from everywhere
Indeed, earlier in the week, he was seen in Rio de Janeiro, having fun at the city’s famous carnival. He partied there, in the company of his girlfriend Bruna Biancardi in particular, and this while he already had these physical problems. Enough to arouse suspicions about the nature of his injury, but above all, the first criticisms about his professionalism and his lifestyle. The famous journalist Renato Maurício Prado, for example, was very blunt: “Neymar is indefensible; does not take football seriously. the injury did not prevent him from going to the carnival. When he returned to Santos, Neymar brought back with him two crucial doubts: how his physique would react after such a long period without playing frequently and what his professional behavior would be after such a resounding sporting failure in Saudi Arabia. With a knockout match against Corinthians in a week, the natural thing would be to take care of yourself and preserve yourself during this period, right?
“Everyone remembers the number 10’s trip to the Sapucaí Carnival. Even if he wasn’t fit to play, is it normal that he went out and didn’t prioritize his treatment?” Danielo Lavieri fumes in UOL, referring to a “scandal”. On social media, Santos fans have also been very critical of their number 10, while others have been mocking. “Great attitude from Neymar. Knowing that his opponents were very afraid of him, he didn’t go onto the pitch so as not to scare anyone. It’s not just football,” wrote the parody account Olé do Brasil, which has more than a million subscribers on X. Needless to say, the player’s behavior in the coming days will be closely observed in Brazil…
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