Brazilian media: Neymar's domineering attitude toward young teammates sparks discontent

According to reports, Santos forward Neymar’s attitude during the 2-2 draw with Chapecoense has caused considerable dissatisfaction throughout the club.

According to Brazil's Globo Esporte, during halftime of last Saturday's match, Neymar criticized his teammate Gabriel Bontempo and centre-back João Ananias in an extremely disrespectful manner, which left Santos' players, coaching staff and management unhappy.

According to sources who were interviewed, his criticism of the team's young players had gone beyond the usual bounds of dressing-room criticism. In particular, he called Bontempo “shit” and mocked the midfielder by saying that next year he would be playing with the team in Brazil's Serie B against Chapecoense, who are bottom of Serie A.

The source’s account also noted that his accusations against João Ananias were likewise extremely excessive, and that he also questioned the technical ability of the center-back, who inadvertently scored an own goal in the second half.

Before halftime, Santos led Chapecoense 1-0 thanks to a goal from Neymar. However, just over ten minutes after the start of the second half, the team conceded twice in quick succession, and only in the closing stages did Neymar convert a penalty to salvage a hard-fought equalizer. Within the club, it is believed that the incident affected the team's overall performance and intensified friction between the squad and their star player.

Last Saturday marked Neymar's first appearance back on the pitch since Brazil's World Cup disappointment. Now, from the club's perspective, Neymar's relationship with the other players in the squad is extremely poor.

Beyond his conduct in the dressing room, Neymar’s behavior on the pitch has also made his teammates uncomfortable, as he repeatedly criticizes them in public whenever they fail to finish an attacking move. Internally, it is believed that when Neymar gestures in front of the fans to blame his teammates, some players in the squad, especially foreign players, feel intimidated.

In addition, the reporter also heard some complaints about Neymar's physical condition, and therefore contacted Neymar's team, who said they had "no comment." Bontempo, through a press spokesperson, said that there had only been "routine criticism" at halftime, and that Neymar had not insulted him. Ananias denied in a statement that Neymar had insulted him, but acknowledged that there had indeed been routine criticism in the dressing room.

Santos' management plans to hold a meeting this Sunday to find out more details about the controversy.

According to reports, this was not the first time Neymar had been overly critical of young players within the squad. Last year, Deivid Washington was harshly criticized by the No. 10 in the dressing room. According to witnesses, the forward, who is currently at Chelsea, was even reduced to tears on the spot.

During a training session at the start of this year, Neymar, feeling he had been disrespected during an attacking and defensive drill, slapped Robinho Junior in the face. The incident later leaked from the training ground, and the young player notified the club through extrajudicial channels to address the act of violence. Afterward, Neymar issued a public apology to his teammates.

But this time, Neymar's verbal abuse of Bontempo and his accusations against Ananias made the atmosphere within the squad even more strained. Related accounts indicate that Neymar's behavior damaged his image among the young players. These young players had originally regarded him as an idol and held him in great respect, but they were disappointed by his actions.

Another recent incident that further affected the relationship between the players and Neymar took place on the day of the Copa Sudamericana match against Universidad Central de Venezuela, when Neymar went to take part in a poker tournament. At the time, the coaching staff had rotated Neymar out to protect him, and he stayed in Brazil while Santos went on to beat the Venezuelan side 4-1, effectively securing a place in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16.

While his teammates are taking part in South American competitions, Neymar is at the Golden Hall in the WTC complex in São Paulo for the BSOP Winter Millions (the fourth stop of the 2026 Brazilian Poker Championship season). He was unhappy with how the incident escalated and fired back: “Mind your own business.”

It is worth noting that in last Saturday's match, after Neymar scored the opening goal against Chapecoense, he also performed a poker-playing celebration, once again making poker a hot topic of discussion.

Neymar's contract with Santos expires on December 31. He currently ranks second on Santos' Brazilian Serie A scoring chart with six goals, and the No. 10 and the rest of the squad returned to training at the King Pelé Training Center on Sunday morning. After receiving his third yellow card in the match against Chapecoense, he will miss the next Brazilian Serie A fixture.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com