OneFootball
·23 July 2026
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsOneFootball
·23 July 2026
Back at Santos, Neymar is expected to make his Brasileirão return next Saturday (25), against Chapecoense at Vila Belmiro, in the 20th round.
But the days leading up to the match have been hectic for the star wearing the No. 10 shirt.
That’s because Neymar was heavily criticized last Tuesday (21), when he took part in a poker tournament, just hours before Peixe played the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 playoffs against UCV (a 4-1 win).
This Thursday (23), however, the 34-year-old forward turned to social media to hit back at the criticism.
In a 32-second video on his Instagram stories, Neymar appeared in the gym, drinking an energy drink and explaining that he played poker because he was off duty.
At the end, Santos’ No. 10 asked sarcastically: "Can I train, or are you going to keep criticizing me as well?"
"I was here getting ready for the second training session, and I remembered that on my day off, a lot of people kept saying that I was playing poker and whatever else... I worked in the morning, I didn’t go to the game because I had just returned to training, and the next day I had a day off. People keep talking, right... Anyway, now I’m here getting ready for training. Now I want to ask you: ‘Can I train, or are you going to keep criticizing me as well?’ Go mind your own business!"
Neymar no Instagram: “Posso treinar ou vocês vão ficar cornetando também? Vai cuidar da sua vida!”–
Neymar was part of Brazil’s campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which ended earlier than expected with a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the round of 16 (11th place overall).
The No. 10 scored Brazil’s consolation goal in stoppage time, his only one in the tournament.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
📸 JEWEL SAMAD - AFP or licensors







































