During Friday’s World Cup match between Brazil and Costa Rica, Neymar, the most famous soccer player in the world, was caught cursing at the Costa Rican players when the game got heated.
After a Costa Rica player appeared to flop, Neymar was caught yelling “puta” and telling the player something about his mother, notes TMZ. The U.S. broadcast on Fox Sports 1 did not pick up Neymar’s outburst.
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“Puta” means “whore” or “hooker” in Portuguese.
In the same game, a Dutch referee put his hand on Neymar’s chest. Neymar then yelled, “Don’t touch me.” But the referee would have none of that and told him to get back to the game.
Neymar’s own flop during the game also inspired some hilarious memes. At one point, Neymar tried to get the referees to call a foul by over-dramatically falling to the ground. Thanks to a new video assistant referee system, the foul was called back, notes CNET.
After all this drama during the game against Costa Rica, even one of Neymar’s teammates criticized him. Thiago Silva, who also plays for Paris Saint Germaine, said he was “saddened” by the superstar’s behavior.
“He is like a little brother to me and I try to look out for him, but today I was saddened by his behaviour. By the time I returned the ball, he insulted me,” Silva told Brazil’s Globo. “But I think I was right, because they were trying to save time. I returned the ball because it was not this ball that was going to win us. I am calm about that and I was sad about his behaviour towards me.”
The 26-year-old Neymar is one of the most well-known and highest-paid athletes in the world. According to TIME, he has a net worth of almost $90 million and owns a $10 million mansion in Rio de Janeiro.
Last year, Neymar left Barcelona to join Paris Saint German, signing a five-year, $600 million deal, Forbes reports. Part of that includes PSG paying Barcelona $250 million to agree to let him switch teams.
Neymar could already be on the move too, after just one season in France’s Ligue 1. Manchester United is reportedly planning to offer ยฃ300 million ($398 million) to entice Neymar to head to the U.K., reports Team Talk.
Neymar was Brazil’s captain during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, leading the team to its first Olympic Gold Medal. His father, Neymar Sr., was also a professional soccer player in Brazil.
Brazil’s next group match is against Serbia on Wednesday in Russia.
Photo credit: VI Images via Getty Images
