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Neymar, the Santos forward, asserted this Thursday that he was "on his day off" following the backlash received for attending a poker tournament while his team was playing a qualifying match in Venezuela, and recommended that his critics mind their "own business."
The number 10 responded to commentators and fans who accused him of a lack of commitment for playing cards while Santos faced Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) in the first leg of the playoff to reach the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana.
"I was here preparing for the second training session and I remembered that, during my day off, a lot of people started talking about how I went to play poker," he stated on his social media while working out in the gym.
"I trained in the morning, I didn't go to the match, and then I went back to training. It was my day off. But they keep talking, anyway. I'm getting ready to train. Can I train, or are you going to keep criticizing me too? Mind your own business," he added sarcastically.
The former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player, clearly annoyed, ended the video by tapping the camera of his phone in a gesture of disapproval.
Neymar rejoined the Santos squad last Friday after enjoying a few days of vacation following his understated performance in the 2026 World Cup, in which the Canarinha fell in the round of 16 against Norway.
The 34-year-old forward then began a specific physical plan to regain his form, which meant he did not travel to Valencia with the rest of his teammates for the first leg of the Sudamericana playoff, played on Tuesday.
The Sao Paulo-based team routed the local side 1-4 at the Polideportivo Misael Delgado in Valencia, with goals from Gabriel Bontempo, Gabriel Menino, Thaciano, and Rony.
That same Tuesday, Neymar published a series of photographs on his social media appearing to smile during his participation in a poker tournament in the city of São Paulo.
The following day, the Canarinha's all-time top scorer attempted a first response to the criticism with the following message: "Life is a joke. 'Don't take life so seriously.'"
Neymar, who is expected to reappear this Saturday in the Brazilian Championship match against Chapecoense, is a big poker fan.
A few days after being eliminated from the 2026 World Cup and announcing his retirement from the Brazilian national team, he was present at another poker competition in Las Vegas, from which he was eliminated early on, according to local press.
[Publicidad]