Neymar isn’t finished yet.
The veteran Santos striker’s continuation was looking under serious threat, all up until he returned to the fray against Chapecoense.
It was Neymar’s first appearance since his final World Cup match where he scored a late penalty for Brazil in a 2-1 last 16 defeat against Norway.
Since then doubts have been raised about him retiring altogether after confirming the end of the road with Brazil.
Statements from his Santos coach and particularly his father put his continuity into doubt, as did his struggles with injury.
Neymar steals the headlines in Santos return
But against Chapecoense in Brazil’s Serie A, he not only started, but he played the full 90 minutes and scored twice.
They only downside was the full-time result, a 2-2 draw, leaving Santos 14th in the table.
Yet Neymar still got some revenge over criticism for how he spends his spare time.
The 34-year-old did a card dealing celebration after his first after a week that saw criticism for his poker habit.
Neymar is a long-term player and even a Poker Stars ambassador, and played a two-day tournament during the week.
Fans suggested he was doing so instead of training and playing, something he strongly denied on social media with a series of photos at the training ground.
Neymar calls out poker critics
In a social media post, he said: “I was here getting ready for the second training session and I remembered that on my day off, a lot of people were talking about me playing poker.
“I worked in the morning, I didn’t go to the game, I went back to training. I was on my day off.
“They keep talking, anyway. I’m getting ready for training.
“Can I train or are you going to keep criticising me too? Mind your own business.”
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