Neymar fires back after Thiago Mendes handshake refuse

Neymar has broken his silence after Thiago Mendes ignored his attempted handshake before Santos faced Vasco. Following Santos’ 3-0 victory, Neymar responded with a pointed message before later insisting there is no real rivalry between the pair.

Neymar has responded after Thiago Mendes dramatically refused to shake his hand before Santos faced Vasco, adding another chapter to a feud stretching back six years.

The awkward moment happened during the pre-match greetings at São Januário.

Neymar extended his hand.

Thiago Mendes walked straight past him.

There was no handshake and almost no interaction between the two Brazilian stars during the captain’s coin toss moments later.

Then Santos won 3-0.

And Neymar had something to say afterwards.

Neymar responds with pointed message

After the match, Santos shared footage of the handshake incident on social media.

Neymar entered the comments and responded with a short but unmistakably pointed message.

“A soberba precede a queda”

Translate is “Pride comes before a fall.”

The timing immediately attracted attention.

Thiago had ignored Neymar’s attempted handshake before the match.

Santos then defeated Vasco 3-0 on their own ground.

Neymar’s message therefore looked like a direct response to what had happened before kick-off.

It quickly spread across Brazilian football media and social networks.

Thiago Mendes ignored Neymar before kick-off

The controversy began before the game had even started.

During the traditional pre-match greetings, Neymar approached Thiago and offered his hand.

The Vasco captain did not accept it.

Instead, Thiago continued walking, leaving Neymar visibly surprised by the reaction.

The pair then came together again for the captain’s coin toss.

Once more, there was little warmth.

They completed the required exchange of club pennants but did not engage in any meaningful conversation.

The images immediately reopened questions about the relationship between the two players.

Santos had the perfect response on the pitch

The tension before kick-off gave the result even greater significance.

Santos went on to defeat Vasco 3-0.

Neymar did not score, but his team left São Januário with an emphatic victory.

That made his post-match message even more striking.

Thiago had refused his hand.

Santos won by three goals.

Then Neymar posted about pride coming before a fall.

It was almost impossible for fans not to connect the events.

The feud dates back to 2020

This was not the first problem between Neymar and Thiago Mendes.

The history between them stretches back to December 2020, when Neymar was playing for Paris Saint-Germain and Thiago represented Lyon.

Late in a Ligue 1 match, Thiago made a heavy challenge on Neymar.

The PSG star went down in significant pain and eventually left the field on a stretcher.

Thiago initially received a yellow card before VAR intervention resulted in a red.

Neymar was later diagnosed with an ankle injury.

Thiago apologized publicly afterwards, but the incident remained part of the history between them.

The tension exploded again earlier in 2026

The two players crossed paths again after returning to Brazilian football.

Neymar was back at Santos.

Thiago Mendes had joined Vasco.

During an earlier meeting between the clubs in 2026, the pair became involved in another heated confrontation.

Both players were booked after exchanging words.

Neymar later accused Thiago of threatening to hurt him again.

He also publicly criticized the Vasco midfielder in strong terms.

Thiago gave a different version of events and insisted he had simply been defending Vasco and demanding respect for his club.

The disagreement ensured there was already significant tension before their latest meeting.

The handshake offered a chance to move on

That background explains why Neymar’s attempted handshake was so significant.

It could have been a simple gesture showing that whatever happened previously had been left behind.

Neymar appeared willing to make that gesture.

Thiago was not.

The refusal suggested that the relationship between the pair remains strained.

There was no fight.

There was no dangerous challenge.

But the images said plenty.

Neymar later insists there is no rivalry

Interestingly, Neymar later attempted to calm the story down.

After widespread discussion about a supposed rivalry between the pair, Neymar posted another message suggesting the situation was being exaggerated.

He insisted there was no real rivalry and suggested he had more important matters to focus on.

That created an unusual sequence.

First, Neymar appeared to respond directly to Thiago with his message about pride.

Then he insisted the situation should not be treated as a major personal rivalry.

In other words, Neymar clearly noticed the snub.

But he does not appear interested in allowing the story to become bigger than football itself.

No new confrontation during the match

Despite the tension before kick-off, Neymar and Thiago avoided another major incident during the game.

There was no serious altercation between them during the 90 minutes.

That makes the pre-match handshake and Neymar’s post-match response the defining moments of this latest chapter.

The rivalry did not explode physically.

It played out through body language and social media instead.

A six-year story that refuses to disappear

Neymar and Thiago’s history has now followed them across two countries and several clubs.

It started in France.

It resurfaced in Brazil.

And now a simple handshake has once again made headlines.

The latest sequence was particularly dramatic.

Neymar offered his hand.

Thiago walked past.

Santos won 3-0.

Then Neymar responded.

“Pride comes before a fall.”

Neymar may insist there is no rivalry.

But after six years of incidents between them, football fans will be watching their next meeting very closely.