January 04, (THEWILL) – Neymar recently came under fire for his decision not to attend the funeral of Brazilian soccer legend Pele in Brazil and choosing instead to stay in France and focus on his return to club action with Paris Saint-Germain.
Some Brazilian icons did attend Pele’s wake at Santos’ stadium in Vila Belmiro, but other prominent figures, including Ronaldo and Kaka, also did not attend in person. Former Brazil midfielder, Jose Ferreira Neto, commented on the absences, saying, “At the very least it shows a lack of respect.”
Neymar’s father, Neymar Sr, revealed that the soccer star asked him to attend the funeral on his behalf. Neymar took to social media to explain his absence, saying that he wanted to focus on his goals with PSG.
In the video, the 30-year-old said: “I will spend the end of the year here, training to pursue my goals at PSG, the Champions League and the French championship. In any case, we will pursue them all!
“And to all of you who have followed everything that happened in my 2022, which is coming to an end, I hope you can achieve your goals and dreams, always keeping the faith! Happy New Year 2023 to all of you. May God bless you and protect you. A huge kiss!”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
