Neymar found himself at the center of criticism again, and not just because Santos lost 3-2 to Fluminense in the Brasileirão on Sunday. The number 10 made headlines for his gesture as he left Vila Belmiro. He clarified that it was a misunderstanding, but that didn’t completely convince the former Brazilian star.
Elias strongly criticized Neymar’s explanation, considering the controversy surrounding him and the fact that he covered his ears at the end of the match.
Z. Elias’s criticism of Neymar
After the match, the 34-year-old star was caught on camera with his fingers in his ears as he made his way to the locker room. Some interpreted this as a sign that he was not listening to the criticism from the home stand, but Neymar himself was clearly irritated by the speculation, although he made this clear on his official Instagram account.
“The day came when I had to explain that I was scratching my ears!” Ney complained. “Honestly, they are too harsh and cross the line… It is very sad to have to accept this. No human being can endure this,” he added.
Despite his explanations and annoyances, one person who didn’t seem to understand what he was talking about was former Brazil national team midfielder Zé Elias, who criticized him harshly.
“We clearly understood what happened there. People know what it is. Nobody here is stupid. Everyone knows what happened,” Elias began (via Tribuna.com).
“This is further evidence, right? And again, the attitude of a 16-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy, who lacks the ability and understanding of who he is, because if he knew who he was and what he stood for, If he knew and understood, he wouldn’t act like that. And always, he’s always the victim. It’s always the people who bully him. He’s always right and everyone else is wrong, the whole world is wrong,” he added.
The controversy comes just five days after Neymar had a confrontation with Santos fans following Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Deportivo Recoleta in the Copa Sudamericana. In that context, the player defended himself, pointing out that the situation went beyond the realm of sport, saying, “I understand the fans criticizing our play, but when it becomes personal and they attack me in other ways, I can’t accept it.”
Meanwhile, ‘Peixe’ has struggled to find consistency in various competitions this season. Santos will return to action on Wednesday, April 22nd at 6:30pm ET when they face Coritiba in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil. On Saturday, April 24th, they will face Bahia in Brasileiro at 5:30 pm ET, and on the 28th they will face San Lorenzo in the Copa Sudamericana at 6:00 pm ET.
