"I'm a bad guy." - Neymar speaks out for the first time about the injury that kept him out of the match against Mirassol

The tension surrounding Neymar's inclusion in Brazil's World Cup squad is reaching a boiling point.

Details: Today, on his Instagram page, the 34-year-old Santos midfielder Neymar posted a video sharing his thoughts on the criticism he received for missing the match against Mirassol—a game that was expected to be decisive for Carlo Ancelotti in making the final call on whether Neymar would make Brazil's World Cup roster.

Neymar said he doesn't understand the criticism leveled at him, but he’s convinced that whatever he does will always be questioned by his detractors:

"If I play injured, I'm the bad guy... If I think about myself, I'm the bad guy... If I hold back, I'm the bad guy... If I play through pain, I'm the bad guy.

Being me is very hard." Neymar stated in his Stories.

Earlier, media outlets reported that Seleção head coach Carlo Ancelotti personally flew to Brazil to assess Neymar’s form in person, but he was left disappointed as Neymar suffered an injury—leaving even more questions ahead of Ancelotti’s final decision.

Neymar last took the field for Brazil on October 18, 2023, in a match against Uruguay. Since then, a string of injuries has kept the Brazilian star out of the Seleção starting lineup.

This season, Neymar has played 3 matches for Santos, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist.

Reminder: Breaking! Neymar injured again and will miss the match against Mirassol