Neymar makes a funny joke in regards to Vinicius that the Real Madrid star could take the wrong way.
Neymar looks up while Vinicius Jr. dribbles with the ball as he wears the Brazil jersey. (Source: Getty Images, X)
Many Brazilians around the world love Neymar Jr., and the current players of the Brazilian national team also show great appreciation for the Al Hilal star. The Brazilian national team wishes that Neymar could be part of the squad, but he can’t because of the ACL injury he suffered last October. Neymar still shares a great relationship with most of the players on the national team since he played with them in past tournaments like the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. One of those players that he is close to is Vinicius Jr., who is arguably the best player in the world due to his performances with Real Madrid this past season. While Vinicius and Neymar are good friends, the Al Hilal star gave some funny but controversial words about Vinicius Jr. that may rub him the wrong way. In an interview, Neymar was asked who the ugliest player he has ever played with. Neymar said, “I’ve played with a lot of ugly people, but with all due respect, I’ll choose Vinicius Junior. I’m sorry, I love you, but it’s too funny. Ugly, but funny.”
Some Brazilian fans see it as a funny joke that Vinicius will take with no issue. Some have realized that Neymar has been too harsh on Vinicius lately after not naming him to be the most influential player in the Brazilian national team. When asked who he thinks is the key player for Brazil ahead of Copa America, Neymar said, “Brazil’s key player? I think Rodrygo. Vini will certainly do what he knows but Rodrygo… I think he is very different. He is a craque & the #10 shirt will give him a lot of luck.”
Brazil fans shouldn’t worry since Neymar was pictured with Vinicius Jr. during a training session a day before their first match for the Copa America against Costa Rica. The two were smiling, and Neymar attended the match at SoFi Stadium. Brazil did not have a great start to the tournament as the game ended 0-0 against Costa Rica, with Vini struggling and being subbed off. Neymar, at least, was very confused about the substitution of Vinicius, and the cameras caught his reaction from the top seats of SoFi Stadium.
Neymar on returning to football
Neymar spoke about wanting to return to play football again after eight months recovering from his injury. Neymar said, “I want to return to playing which is the most important. I miss it a lot. These months have been really hard. It’s not an easy injury where you just do the surgery, recover & you’re done. It’s more mental than everything. I had to prepare myself a lot mentally to continue with the will & desire to play. I think that’s the most important thing I think about at the moment, not the titles, the wins, the goals but yes in recovering as fast as possible & playing again.”‘
