Even though he was spared from the duel against Palmeiras in the 14th round of the Brazilian Championship last Saturday (2) —which ended in a 1-1 draw—, Neymar ended up at the center of yet another controversy when he fell out with teammate Robinho Júnior during Santos training.
In the training session held at the Baixada team’s CT for players who did not play against Palmeiras on the synthetic lawn at Allianz Parque, on Sunday (3), Neymar was reportedly upset after being dribbled by Robinho Júnior in a “one-on-one” duel. The information was initially published by GE and confirmed by Sheet.
There is conflicting information, however, about what Neymar’s reaction would have been to the dribble applied by the 18-year-old.
Some versions point out that the experienced 34-year-old striker reacted aggressively, going so far as to slap and even trip Robinho’s son, while others point only to a stronger verbal charge considered normal by the Santos captain.
After the argument, Robinho Júnior left training and went to the changing rooms, followed by Neymar, who soon apologized to his teammate.
Since joining Santos’ professional team in mid-2025, Robinho Júnior has been welcomed and treated as a kind of godson by Neymar, who played with Robinho during his first spell with the team, between 2009 and 2013.
The disagreement, which was not confirmed by the athletes or the club, had repercussions in the international press.
Sports newspaper Marca, from Spain, highlighted that Santos’ number 10 “added another problem to a difficult season”, while As points out that the news leaves Neymar in a “very bad situation” in the fight to compete in the World Cup.
Still hoping to be called up by Carlo Ancelotti for the World Cup, Neymar has drawn more attention for the series of controversies he has been involved in in recent months, such as arguments with fans in the stands and recreational poker matches with friends, than for his performances on the pitch.
The expectation is that the striker will return to play for the Santos team in a duel against Recoleta, from Paraguay, in the Copa Sudamericana, this Tuesday (5), at Defensores del Chaco, in Asunción.
