Neymar responds to injury setback and Brazil rumours: "So hard being me" | OneFootball

Just when he was on Carlo Ancelotti's radar for the 2026 World Cup, Neymar suffered a new injury prior to the visit to Mirassol and was not called up by Santos coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda. However, rumors in Brazil attributed his absence to “the curse of his sister’s birthday.” In light of this, the Brazilian star posted a strong statement on his social media.

“A lot of people are coming up with many theories about what’s happening to me. If I play injured, like they said last year, I’m wrong. If I only think about myself, I’m wrong. If I hold back, I’m wrong. If I play with pain or with something that could get worse, I’m wrong. It’s complicated. It’s very hard to get it right. Very hard to please everyone,” said the Peixe captain.

He then complained about the various off-field stories surrounding his absence: “And what surprises me the most are the people, these people who seem to be by my side every day and start making up stories to say this, talking as if it were the biggest truth in the world, as if they owned the truth. It’s too hard to be me. I have to be patient to endure it.”

From Brazil, several journalists suggested that the reason was linked to the 30th birthday of his sister Rafaella, who will celebrate this Thursday at her home in Rio de Janeiro. Over the years, a coincidence has become noticeable: the footballer has not played matches on the date of the family anniversary during the last eleven seasons.

The curious streak began in 2015 and 2016, when he was still playing for Barcelona and was suspended on those dates. Later, already wearing the jerseys of Paris Saint-Germain, Al Hilal, and then Santos, his absence was repeated due to various injuries or physical discomforts that kept him out of matches close to that date.

On this occasion, the context had another important chapter. Carlo Ancelotti had traveled especially to watch him with the next World Cup in mind, but the striker suffered another injury that prevented him from completing the match. The game ended 2-2, with two goals from Gabriel Gabigol Barbosa, in a clash that left more concerns than certainties.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.