Neymar reportedly slapped and tripped his 18-year-old team-mate Robinho Jr during a training ground bust-up at Santos, after the Brazilian legend believed he had been disrespected.
According to a report by Brazilian outlet Globo, Neymar took exception to being dribbled past by his teenage team-mate, who is the son of former Real Madrid and Man City attacker Robinho.
An argument ensued after Neymar had told Robinho Jr to ‘take it easy’, leading to the pair pushing each other.
Neymar was reported to have slapped and then tripped Robinho Jr, leading to the pair being removed from the training session.
Neymar and Robinho Jr had both been part of the reserve training session after being left out of Santos’ squad for their match against Palmeiras, ahead of their Copa Sudamericana match against Paraguayan side Recoleta.
Robinho Jr’s representatives were reported to have complained about the incident to Santos’ club president.
Neymar, right, was reportedly involved in a training ground bust-up with Robinho Jr, centre
Neymar was said to have slapped and tripped Robinho Jr, before later apologising to the teenager after admitting he had been at fault
The issue was resolved after Neymar apologised to Robinho Jr having recognised he had been at fault for the incident.
Neymar and Robinho Jr are said to have a close relationship, which has been likened to a ‘godfather and godson’.
Santos were held to a 1-1 draw in their derby with Palmeiras on Saturday.
Concerns over Palmeiras’ synthetic pitch was cited as a reason for Neymar being left out of the match, with the forward having been vocal about the surface after he had suffered a series of injury problems in recent years.
The most notable was the ACL injury he sustained back in October 2023 when playing for Brazil against Uruguay, which is currently his last appearance for the Selecao.
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time record goalscorer, is currently facing a fight to force his way back into the national team ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
The forward has scored four goals in 11 matches so far this season, but has just four more games to try to convince Carlo Ancelotti to include him in his squad.
While Neymar’s career is heading towards a close at Santos, Robinho Jr is seeking to establish himself in the first team.
Neymar and Robinho Jr are claimed to have had a good relationship at Santos
Robinho Jr is the son of the disgraced former Man City and Real Madrid star Robinho, who is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence in Brazil for rape
The teenager has made 23 appearances for the Brazilian giants to date.
His father Robinho, who played 100 times for the national team, is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for rape.
Robinho had been arrested in 2024, after lengthy legal battles, having initially being found guilty of gang rape and sentenced in Italy in 2017.
He was one of six men who were found guilty of assaulting an Albanian woman in an Italian nightclub in January 2013.
Robinho was imprisoned in Brazil after a court in his homeland decided he should serve the jail sentence handed down to him by an Italian court.
He has continued to protest his innocence and claims the victim had engaged in a consensual orgy after getting drunk on vodka.
