Neymar fed up with criticism

Annoyed by the wave of criticism, Neymar Jr decided to clap back at his detractors on social media. The Santos striker fired back with a touch of irony at those commenting on his attendance at a poker tournament during a day off granted by the club.

In an Instagram post, the Brazilian star vented his frustration:

"I just want to ask you: can I train or are you going to keep criticizing me? Why don’t you mind your own business?"

Santos’ number 10 was referring to the uproar over his participation in the BSOP Winter, a leg of the Brazilian poker championship held in São Paulo.

Neymar fires back at his critics

While Santos were taking on Universidad Central de Venezuela in the Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday, Neymar was notably absent from the pitch. The forward explained that he stuck to his training schedule and was simply making the most of his free time.

"I was here getting ready for my second training session and remembered that on my day off, a lot of people were talking about me playing poker. I trained in the morning, didn’t go to the match, and then came back to train again. I was on leave," he said.

The Brazilian then sent a clear message to his critics:

"Can I train or are you also going to keep criticizing me? Mind your own business."

A headline-grabbing appearance at the poker table

Neymar took part in the tournament over two days at the Golden Hall of the WTC complex in São Paulo. He played a round of poker while Santos were booking their spot in the Copa Sudamericana against UCV.

In the previous edition, the player finished 29th out of 346 participants, pocketing 53,500 Brazilian reals.

After this brief interlude, Neymar returned to full training with Santos. According to his coach Cuca, the former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star should be back with the squad for the upcoming match against Chapecoense at Vila Belmiro stadium.

Nouya M'toama

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Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.

Related teams and leagues

Santos FC

Serie A Brazil