Vasco v Santos reunites Thiago Mendes and Neymar amid feud dating back to 2020 | OneFootball

The 23rd-round meeting between Vasco and Santos at 16:00 on Sunday at São Januário also brings a renewed face-off between the captains, Thiago Mendes and Neymar.

According to Globo.com, tensions resurfaced in the reverse fixture at Vila Belmiro, when Neymar objected to a first-half foul by the Vasco midfielder. Minutes later they argued and the Santos No 10 went to ground claiming contact to the face from the No 23, team-mates stepped in.

At half-time Neymar insulted the Vasco captain and pointed to an episode from their time in France as the source of the bad blood. After the game, won by the São Paulo club, Thiago Mendes said he had only asked for respect after a celebration in which Neymar gestured for the home fans to be quiet.

The backstory dates to 2020 in Ligue 1, when a late Thiago Mendes challenge against PSG left Neymar stretchered off in tears. Mendes was sent off after a VAR review and later received a three-match ban from the French federation.

Mendes apologised on social media. Neymar sustained a minor injury to his left ankle and returned in mid-January 2021 after the league’s New Year break. Neymar’s father criticised Mendes online, and months later the midfielder said his family had received threats and abuse.

Six years on, the friction appears unresolved as the clubs meet deep in the relegation fight. On the pitch both are reference points, with Mendes Vasco’s top scorer on six this year and wearing the armband, while Neymar, an idol at Santos, has nine this season.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”