Neymar publicly rejected information claiming that he insulted two young Santos players, while criticizing articles about the team’s internal affairs as “malicious and untruthful”.
Neymar once again became the center of attention in Brazil, despite recently scoring both goals to help Santos draw 2-2 with Chapecoense in round 20 of the national championship. The reason stemmed from reports claiming the 34-year-old forward used harsh language, even insulting two young teammates, Gabriel Bontempo and João Ananias, during the halftime break.
According to a report by ge, Neymar was said to be dissatisfied with the performance of the young players when Santos was only leading Chapecoense 1-0 after the first half. The source alleged that the number 10 star used excessive language toward Bontempo, while also questioning João Ananias’s professional capability. However, this is so far only media reports and has not been officially confirmed by Santos.
According to a report by ge, Neymar was said to be dissatisfied with the performance of the young players when Santos was only leading Chapecoense 1-0 after the first half.
Facing allegations that directly impacted his image and leadership role, Neymar posted two videos on social media to refute them. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward affirmed that the discussion in the dressing room was addressed to the entire team, rather than targeting any young player individually.
Neymar said: “I am seeing some reports circulating saying that I criticized the young players in the dressing room. That is completely a lie. Whoever passed along that information, please don’t do that, don’t lie.”
The Brazilian star explained that experienced players like Lucas Veríssimo, Willian Arão, Gabriel Barbosa, and goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão all took part in the discussion. According to Neymar, team members were holding each other accountable because Santos needed a win and could not be satisfied with the result against the team at the bottom of the table.
“We all spoke up and demanded better from one another because we are competitive people who always want to win. But there is no way we targeted the young players. I will not accept these lies,” Neymar emphasized.
The 34-year-old forward then continued to harshly criticize those who reported the story. He declared: “If players have to hold each other accountable in the dressing room, regardless of who it is, that is completely normal in a team that wants to win. The people writing these malicious and untruthful articles know nothing. You don’t understand football and have never been part of a team.”
Representatives for João Ananias also denied that the player was personally targeted by Neymar and confirmed that there was only a general team discussion.
Representatives for João Ananias also denied that the player was personally targeted by Neymar and confirmed that there was only a general team discussion. Meanwhile, Bontempo’s representative described what happened as a rather stern reminder, but did not fully confirm the exact words reported by the Brazilian media. The ge website still maintains its published report.
