Neymar laughs off weight criticism after Brazil victory
The Brazilian's performance came to the fore again against Chile and the PSG player joked on Instagram: "The shirt was a size too big...".
Neymar is facing a tougher return to work than he may have expected. The Brazilian returned to PSG with the rest of his international team-mates after losing the Copa America final against Argentina. Over the summer break, some videos of Neymar topless went viral with many questioning his fitness, which was something even his team-mates joked about on his return to Paris.
Last weekend, he made his first Ligue 1 appearance of the season and put in a poor performance for PSG. He was replaced by Messi, who was making his debut for his new club after joining from Barcelona. "Difficult return", "out of shape", "not involved defensively". These were just some of the headlines that could be found in the French press after the victory against Stade de Reims.
Criticism and an 'large' shirt
In the Chile vs Brazil match in the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, social media sites were flooded with comments criticising Neymar's poor form. The common thread of criticism was Ney's excess weight, something the Brazilian forward has laughed off.
In a post-match Instagram story he acknowledged that Brazil were not great on the night, but that his country won, and on the right-hand side of the post was his response to the criticism he has been receiving regarding his weight. "The shirt was size G (L in European size), I'm at my weight. Next game I'll order an M". The message was accompanied by several emojis, cracking up with laughter.