'Stop believing it's Carnival every night!' - Neymar's father sets record straight on Santos star's party boy reputation after 'poker & girls' accusations at PSG

WHAT HAPPENED?

While there has never been any doubt about Neymar’s ability, questions have been asked throughout his career of how serious he takes being a global superstar in the public eye. He is considered by some to enjoy the trappings of fame and fortune a bit too much.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

While the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have committed fully to mastering their trades, Neymar has missed out on Ballon d’Or recognition and finds himself back where it all began at Santos after enduring problematic injury issues.

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DID YOU KNOW

He did, however, win La Liga and Champions League titles at Barcelona, before joining Paris Saint-Germain as the most expensive player on the planet in 2017, and has a record-breaking haul of 79 goals through 128 appearances for Brazil.

WHAT NEYMAR SR SAID

Neymar’s father considers his son’s career to have been a success and is eager to point out that off-field activity has never been a distraction. He told L’Equipe: “We have to stop believing that it's Carnival every night. On the field, he's professional. Off it, it's his life.

“He goes out when it's vacation or when he's off. The injuries didn't happen because he went out with girls. Do you think he injured his cruciate ligaments because he played poker?”

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TELL ME MORE

Neymar Sr added on seeing PSG claim a first Champions League crown in the wake of Neymar, Messi and Kylian Mbappe all leaving Parc des Princes: “I was happy! I congratulated Nasser (al-Khelaifi), a friend. We were part of this project. Nasser knows that we climbed the mountain together.

“That's when you see the time it takes to structure a club and find the right formula. They built a new training centre, invested in young players, new staff. Today, all the players want to sign there. Before, they wanted to leave to go to a bigger club.”

WHAT NEXT?

Neymar’s short-term deal at Santos is running down, with his father claiming that the 33-year-old has attracted interest from teams in Europe that could see him return to a Champions League stage before gracing the World Cup finals next summer.

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