'Mind your own business': Neymar hits back at critics over poker controversy

Santos forward Neymar has hit back at criticism over his decision to attend a poker tournament while his club played a Copa Sudamericana knockout tie, insisting he was on a scheduled day off and telling critics to "mind your own business."

The 34-year-old came under fire after photos emerged of him taking part in a poker tournament in Sao Paulo on Tuesday, the same day Santos thrashed Venezuela's Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) 4-1 in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana play-off for a place in the round of 16.

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Responding in a video posted on social media on Thursday, Neymar defended his actions, saying he had remained in Brazil as part of a fitness programme approved by the club.

"I was here getting ready for my second training session and I remembered that, during my day off, a lot of people started talking about the fact that I went to play poker," Neymar said.

"I trained in the morning, did not go to the match and then returned to training. I was resting. But they keep talking, anyway. I'm getting ready to train. Am I allowed to train or are they going to keep criticising me for that too? Mind your own business," he added sarcastically.

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The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward ended the video by tapping the camera on his phone in an apparent gesture of frustration.

Neymar returned to training with Santos last Friday after taking several days off following Brazil's disappointing campaign at the FIFA World Cup 2026, where the five-time champions were knocked out by Norway in the round of 16. He has since been following an individual conditioning programme to regain match fitness and did not travel with the squad to Venezuela.

Santos coach Cuca defended the decision to leave Neymar behind, saying the forward was better served by continuing his recovery in Brazil rather than making the demanding trip.

"Since he was sidelined for a few days and didn't have a holiday, we decided to let him get even stronger, training hard so he could have a run of games," Cuca said after Santos' victory.

Before Thursday's video, Neymar had responded briefly to the criticism by posting a smiling photo from the poker tournament on social media with the caption: "Life is a joke."

Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer recently announced his retirement from international football following the World Cup. He is expected to return to action on Saturday when Santos host Chapecoense in the Brazilian Championship as the club look to build on their strong position in the Copa Sudamericana.