Neymar has earned a reputation of a ‘party animal’ and he’s been a regular part of the Rio Carnival since 2014.
However, he caused controversy every year because whether it was an injury or a suspension, the player seems to be unavailable for football at the same period every year when the carnival takes place.
But, the PSG winger will miss the Rio Carnival this year for the first time in 6 years and he’ll play football this March.
His fans have apparently noticed a pattern in his absences.
Moreover, his sister, Rafaella Santos, has a birthday on March 11 and this is a date that the former Barcelona player was always around to celebrate, despite this being the end of the football season.
A Timeline of Neymar’s Injuries & Suspensions
Back in 2015, during his second season in Barcelona, Neymar served a one-match ban because of too many yellow cards.
He was sentenced to the same length ban in the same week, one season later.
Then, in 2017, the player had muscular problems which led him to be out of action and ready for his sister’s birthday while it was final season at the Catalan giants.
A year later, the player had a metatarsal fracture which led to him missing 16 matches, from late February to late May.
Last year, it was the same problem again. But, his fracture didn’t prevent him to hop along the Carnival and party the night away accompanied by pop stars and friends.
PSG will be probably keeping their fingers crossed that the Brazilian party animal won’t suffer another injury and add it to his long list during the samba celebrations.
Neymar ‘Breaks’ the Controversy on Instagram
After speculations of a connection between his football injuries and his visits to the Rio Carnival appeared, the star took things to his Instagram and said he won’t be attending the carnival for the first time.
He said that ‘with immense happiness, I announce that I’m out of the 2020 Carnival. That is it. This time, there will be no controversy. Thanks. Happy Carnival.’
Despite not being the most professional of players, it’s unlikely that he would deliberately get sent off in order to attend the carnival. But, with his regular attending for six years and his regular sent offs, things may not be a pure coincidence after all.
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