Just a day after his high-profile scoring return for Santos, Neymar is back taking up bad headlines.
Brazil’s all-time top scorer bagged two goals against Chapecoense and even pulled out a poker celebration amid stories his side hustle had been impacting his return.
However, the match ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw and it turns out it’s not just the media who are unhappy with Neymar’s poker playing.
Neymar brutally chastises Santos youngsters
Leading Brazilian outlet O Globo report that tensions boiled over during and after the match with Chapecoense.
Neymar apparently went after youngsters Gabriel Bontempo and Joao Ananias in a way that was deemed respectful by them and the rest of the dressing room.
O Globo claim: “Sources interviewed for this report said that the criticism directed at the young players went beyond what is considered normal in football locker rooms.
“This was especially true because he called Gabriel Bontempo a ‘piece of shit’ and sarcastically suggested that the midfielder would be facing Chapecoense, the bottom-ranked team in the Brazilian Championship, in the Série B next year.
“Joao Ananias was also criticised excessively, casting doubt on the defender’s technical ability, who scored an own goal in the final stages.”
Santos were leading 1-0 at half-time and dressing room sources claim the outburst contributed to their collapse, conceding twice before a penalty equaliser.
Neymar was seen expressing his anger at the crowd after his goals, and his attitude is similar with his teammates when a play doesn’t materialise.
Neymar’s poker playing is also a dressing room issue
His attendance at a two-day poker tournament just before he returned is also said to have upset the rest of the team.
All of these factors are reportedly contributing to tensions on the locker room, with team executives to hold a meeting on how to proceed.
Neymar’s attitude towards young players previously blew up when he reportedly slapped Robinho Jr who dribbled past him in training.
Both parties acknowledged that an incident had taken place, and Robinho Jr then filed an extrajudicial notification with the club regarding an act of aggression.
There was earlier an incident where he reportedly chastised Deivid Washington, leading to him crying in front of his teammates.
Furthermore, Neymar picked up a yellow card in the draw against Chapecoense, leading to a suspension for the next match, further upsetting the mood.
Before the match, Neymar responded to complaints about his poker playing in an Instagram video.
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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