Neymar Faces Criticism for Missing Key Match After Carnival Celebration

Neymar, the notorious party enthusiast, is once again facing criticism in Brazil for prioritizing festivities over football. The 33-year-old forward missed a crucial match on Sunday, shortly after reveling at the Rio Carnival.

Returning to his formative club Santos and recently called back to the national team, Neymar sat out the Sao Paulo championship semifinal against Corinthians due to discomfort in his left thigh. Without their star man, Santos fell to a 2-1 defeat.

The Brazilian international, who is recovering from a significant knee injury, took to Instagram to share that he began experiencing these pains on Thursday.

He had already exited the quarterfinal match against Red Bull Bragantino on March 2 in the 76th minute as a precaution due to a similar issue with his thigh.

The day following the match, Neymar was seen at the sambadrome enjoying the samba school parades in Rio de Janeiro, which reignited debates about his lifestyle.

Critics questioned his commitment, suggesting that if he was genuinely injured, attending the carnival could be perceived as misprioritizing his recovery.

Milton Neves, a columnist, posed the question, “If he was really injured, why did he go to Rio for the carnival? Why didn’t he focus on his rehabilitation?” Another prominent commentator, Mauro Cézar Pereira, echoed similar sentiments, implying that football was taking a back seat in Neymar’s life.

As of now, neither the club nor the player has provided further details about his condition, although Brazilian media reports indicate it may be a minor edema in the thigh.

After his carnival escapade, Neymar returned to training on Wednesday. He claims the injury that sidelined him for the semifinal occurred on Thursday, the same day he was called up for Brazil’s matches against Colombia and Argentina on March 20 and 25, respectively, as part of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

The record goal scorer for the Brazilian national team, with 79 goals—two more than Pelé—has not featured for the Seleçao since October 2023, when a severe knee injury sustained against Uruguay kept him off the pitch for nearly a year. In 2019, while playing for PSG, he faced backlash for attending the Rio carnival while recovering from a foot fracture.