Neymar faces criticism for attending carnival amid injury concerns in Brazil

The best talent and the worst self-management coexist.

Brazil's 'Globo' reported on the 10th (Korea time) that "Neymar felt pain in the back of his left thigh during the match against Red Bull Bragantino last week. Ultimately, he sat on the bench for the semifinal of the Campeonato Paulista against Corinthians and did not participate in the match."

On the same day, Santos faced Corinthians in the Campeonato Paulista semifinals at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil. However, the highly anticipated Neymar did not play a single minute, and Santos lost 1-2, getting eliminated.

The reason Neymar watched the team lose was due to injury. He explained via social media, "All I wanted was to go out onto the field today and help my teammates. But I felt some discomfort last Thursday, so I couldn’t participate. I tested it this morning but felt discomfort again."

Globo reported similar news. The media noted, "Neymar received treatment for a week and tried to recover his match condition until the last moment. However, he could not do so. This was a precautionary measure by the club to avoid exacerbating the swelling in that area."

On that day, Neymar participated in pre-game warm-ups, but unlike his teammates preparing to be substituted, he did not stretch after the kickoff whistle. Globo stated, "It doesn’t seem to be a serious issue. However, if he joins a high-intensity match before recovering, it could worsen. Neymar only did physical therapy while preparing for the match."

Neymar also appeared greatly disappointed. The media reported, "According to sources, Neymar is very angry about the current situation and feels frustrated. He has an important mission this month with the Brazil national team, facing Argentina and Colombia. He wants to show Brazilian coach Dorival Júnior that he is physically 100% fit."

According to Globo, it was truly an unexpected injury for Neymar. The media explained, "Neymar underwent testing at the hotel and was excluded due to concerns over 'injury explosion.' He shed tears while talking to his teammates. When he arrived at the stadium, he was sure he wouldn’t participate in the semifinal, which made him lower his head."

Furthermore, Globo added, "Neymar was very angry and even emotional when talking to the players. He went to the stadium knowing he couldn’t play." Pedro Martins, the director, stated, "Neymar has returned from injury and currently played in several matches. We couldn’t afford to lose him for a month or a month and a half. We made a difficult decision to avoid losing Neymar."

In the end, Neymar's injury-prone nature has triggered again. Since leaving Barcelona in 2017 for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), he has suffered from frequent injuries. PSG paid a record transfer fee of €222 million (approximately 346.9 billion won) to acquire him, leading to considerable criticism from local fans.

Especially after moving to Saudi Arabia, Neymar has been hard to see on the field. In 2023, Al Hilal invested tremendous 'oil money' totaling €100 million (approximately 156.2 billion won) including transfer fee options, with a salary of €150 million (approximately 226.3 billion won). The contract period was two years.

However, Neymar was ruled out for the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear just five matches after arriving in Saudi Arabia. He played only 42 minutes throughout 2024. He returned last October after almost a year but collapsed again due to a right thigh injury.

Ultimately, Neymar mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Al Hilal last January. It is literally one of the biggest financial flops ever. It is reported that Neymar scored just one goal and provided two assists in only seven matches during a year and a half in Saudi Arabia, earning nearly £200 million (approximately 360 billion won). For Al Hilal, it means they spent about 360 billion won per goal.

Back in his homeland Brazil, Neymar is showing signs of resurgence. Since joining Santos last month, he has recorded three goals and three assists in seven matches, already exceeding the attacking points he achieved at Al Hilal. After improving his condition, Neymar recently made a return to the Brazil national team for the first time in 17 months, but his participation became uncertain due to a recurrence of injury.

Here, Neymar also posted on social media, seemingly unconcerned about his injury, which sparked controversy. He shared moments of participating in Brazil's carnival. Notably, Neymar was seen attending the Rio de Janeiro carnival with his girlfriend and teammates shortly after his injury, inciting public outrage.

Additionally, Neymar missed the only chance to lift the trophy against Corinthians, raising suspicions among fans that he is prioritizing his fitness for the Brazil national team's schedule and showing a lack of loyalty to the team. There were even claims he made excuses for his injury to coincide with his sister's birthday.

Despite suffering from injuries after returning to his former team following Al Hilal, Neymar is facing backlash from fans due to his reckless lifestyle. It remains to be seen whether Neymar, criticized for his outstanding talent and poor self-management while battling injuries, can script a turnaround.

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