Neymar's justification for missing a semifinal with Santos was criticized because he was seen at Carnival last week.

Neymar did not feature for Santos in Sunday's 2-1 semifinal defeat at Corinthians because of ongoing "discomfort" in his left thigh.

On Monday, he said he had a minor injury without elaborating. Days earlier, the striker was photographed at Rio de Janeiro’s Sambadrome, the venue for the glitz

After Santos were eliminated by Corinthians, missing the chance to secure an early trophy, Neymar addressed his absence with an injury update.

Everyone in Brazil was focused on this match after his return to the national team following a year and a half of

Neymar did not play in Santos' semifinal match of the Campeonato Paulista against Corinthians, where his team lost 1-2 and was eliminated from the tournament.

A Neymar-less Santos was defeated 2-1 in the Paulista Championship semifinals by a solid Corinthians team, ending a four-game winning streak for Santos. Neymar spent the match on the bench due to a minor thigh issue,