Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has come under criticism in his native Brazil after missing Pele’s funeral to train in France. The Selecao legend’s funeral service will take place on Tuesday and fans queued all night to pay their respects and some were surprised to find national team hero Neymar absent.
Pele died at the age of 82 in São Paulo before the new year after a battle with cancer. Tributes came quickly, including from Neymar himself, for the player many consider to be the greatest of all time.
“Before Pele, ’10’ was just a number,” she wrote on Instagram. “I read that sentence somewhere, at some point in my life. But this beautiful sentence is incomplete. I would say that before Pele, football was just a sport. Pele changed everything.
“He transformed football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, to black people and, above all, made Brazil visible. Football and Brazil have risen in prestige thanks to the King! He is gone, but the his magic will remain. Pele is FOREVER!”
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“If Neymar wanted to be released, he came,” he said. “Neymar could very well have pushed PSG to come here. He has urged the club to come to parties on several occasions. Why not ask PSG to say hello to Pelé? I think Neymar as a Brazilian player had a duty to come and see Pele’s coffin to say goodbye. This was important for Brazilian football.
The 30-year-old is a crucial player for PSG despite the attacking presence of fellow global superstars Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. Neymar has recorded a staggering 11 goals and 10 assists in just 15 Ligue 1 games this season and his father was faced with the striker’s absence from Pelé’s funeral this week.
“It is a sad moment for the family and for all of us – explained Neymar Sr -. Today we have to support the family, we have lost a lot. He has inspired so many people and sport, he has brought us here today. He has inspired all generations, it has always been a reference.
“That’s why my son asked me to be here instead. To support the family. We know what it means to lose someone and not only have we lost an athlete, we have lost a citizen, the person Pele. No, Neymar doesn’t work.” come.”
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