Neymar criticized the crucial semi -final game missing with Santos days after Carnival photos became viral – Firstpost

Sao Paulo: Neymar’s excuse to miss a semi-final with Santos was criticized because he was seen in Carnival last week.

Santos lost against the Corinthians of Archrival 2-1 Sunday in the semi-final of the Sao Paulo State championship, and Neymar sat on the bench during the 90 minutes. On Monday, he said he was a minor without developing.

A few days earlier, the attacker was photographed at the Sambadrome de Rio de Janeiro, the place of the sumptuous carnival parade.

Neymar, who joined his Santos childhood club in January, attended the carnival parade only a few hours after being replaced in the second half of another Sao Paulo championship match on March 2 due to an apparent injury on the left.

He recently recovered from a tear of the LCA which put him away for more than a year.

Santos did not reveal that Neymar was injured before the Sunday semi-final.

“All I wanted was to be on the ground and help my teammates in one way or another,” said Neymar on Instagram. “But last Thursday, I felt an discomfort that prevented me from being on the ground. We had a test this morning and I ended up feeling it again.”

Santos coach Pedro Caixinha said that he had asked Neymar to stay on the bench despite the injury.

“It was just discomfort, but it meant that he could not participate. It was my request and he agreed to be with the team,” said Caixinha at a press conference after the elimination of his team. “He is a different player, he is enlightened and has a fantastic energy. Neymar has suffered a lot from not being able to participate in the game.”

However, many experts have accused Neymar of not focusing on his career, which he tried to rekindle the Brazilian club following spells in Barcelona, ​​Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal.

“He chose carnival during the semi-final,” said popular expert Walter Casagrande Jr. on his social networks. “Neymar’s behavior in the past five years, six years has returned. It changes the professional side for fun and pleasure. ”

Santos’ president Marcelo Texeira told local media that Neymar had been examined several times from Friday to Sunday and that everyone has shown that he was unfit to play against the Corinthians.

“This is a precaution, we understood that we should not (play it),” said Teixeira. “This is not the national team, it is because they had no conditions (to play). He is being recovered. We have to understand this. “

The Spanish newspaper Marca described the week of Brazilian players as “Neymar’s saddest carnival after being launched by Barcelona; on the bench and knocked out ”.

The 33 -year -old striker scored three goals and three assists in seven games for Santos since his return. These statistics convinced Brazil coach Dorival Jr.

Neymar’s next match for Santos is probably on March 29, after the international window, during the first round of the Brazilian league against Vasco Da Gama. Santos was promoted to the best league in the country after its relegation in 2023.