The incident on Sunday (3) between Neymar and Robinho Jr. is another chapter in the dramatic series about the striker’s desire to play in the World Cup. While he strives to play well and his technical performance is analyzed with a magnifying glass, his behavior off the field gains the same prominence — and thanks to Neymar himself.
Only in 2026 have we seen the number 10 argue with a fan, suggest that a referee was menstruating due to decisions on the field, post the physical data of the Santos team, comment on a TNT Sports post on Instagram and, finally, not accept a dribble and attack a teammate.
What draws attention is not any one of these isolated attitudes, but rather their set together. It could be something unimportant that someone gets irritated with during training. It is acceptable for a player to not like something he heard from the stands and retort at the fan. Getting angry with a referee is nothing unusual.
The point is that all this happens to Neymar in a period of two and a half months, since he played his first game of the year. The recurrence of losing his temper reflects a player who is frustrated, anxious and almost desperate for things to go as he planned.
Since returning to Brazilian football, Neymar has had a hard time getting fit in 2025. He prepared well in January and played 12 times, being left out in nine matches since his debut. He scored five goals and also received five yellow cards.
Technical performance is fluctuating. Some good moments, some spark and technical details. Almost always a feeling that it is far from what it once was. Difficulty changing rhythm, direction and explosion at speed. When a pass is not accompanied by his companions, he has been seen complaining more than once, without fear of hiding, with expressions like “bunch of donkeys”.
Neymar can’t play as well as he wanted and as Ancelotti suspects he can’t play anymore. This “wanting but not being able” seems to me to be a trigger for these outbursts of anger. The referee, the press, opponents, social media, teammates, the boy who challenges you in training. Everything and everyone seems to conspire against his private plan to stand out and attract the attention of the national team coach.
However, behavioral episodes can bring too high a price. Even if Carlo Ancelotti is convinced that Neymar is physically and technically fit, having an emotional time bomb at his side for 50 days could generate wear and tear that the coach would prefer to avoid.
The World Cup is a mix of football and tension and keeping 26 players in a healthy environment under so much stress is a challenge.
Of course, if summoned, the reasons for flagrant anxiety may disappear. But is it worth paying to see it? Will the public exchange of barbs with the press, the arguments with fans, the raids in training and the harsh complaints with the referee remain in Santos and will a “peace and love” Neymar only focus on football in the World Cup?
As if the doubts that his performance generates were not enough, there are more and more reasons to doubt that his head can take Neymar out of the World Cup — even more than his feet.
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