Neymar’s back to his old tricks at Santos.
Brazil’s all-time top scorer was missing as his new-old side lost 2-1 to Corinthians in the Campeonato Paulista semi-finals.
Pre-match, dressing room footage showed him getting emotional about his injury absence, telling his teammates: “It’s very difficult to be left out in moments like this. You don’t know what’s going through my head right now. It’s difficult, very difficult.
“I’ve tried with all my might not to let it show how bad I feel but… run for me, please! I wanted to be out there with you.
“You don’t know how desperate my heart is right now. Good luck and go with God. Remember that there is no lost ball. Work together. Come on!”
However, a heartwarming moment soon turned to an awkward one, when it emerged that he’d been celebrating his sister’s birthday at carnival.
The Brazilian media quickly picked up on it, with AOL journalist Renato Mauricio Prado saying: “Neymar is indefensible, he doesn’t take football seriously.
“The injury didn’t stop him from going to the carnival. When he returns to Santos, Neymar will face two big questions: how his body will react after so much time without playing regularly and how he will behave professionally after the sporting failure in Saudi Arabia.”
Neymar on his part responded to the barrage of social media on Instagram, writing: “All I wanted was to be on the pitch today and help my teammates in some way, but last Thursday I felt discomfort and that prevented me from being on the pitch today.
“We did a test this morning and I ended up feeling it again! Unfortunately, it’s part of football. Today it didn’t work out, but we will come back even stronger to fight for our goals!”
Leave a Reply