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Furious Neymar explodes in fiery tunnel row with rival team after Santos' Brazilian Cup victory - days after icon dropped huge retirement hint
Aug 05 2026 10:48 · By Ben Willcocks · 14 Reads
Neymar was involved in a furious altercation with Remo officials after his Santos side qualified for the quarter-finals of the Brazilian Cup on Tuesday night.
The Brazilian Cup (Copa do Brasil) clash at Mangueirao Stadium ended in a fury after Santos edged out a 1-0 victory over Remo, courtesy of Rony's winning goal in the 74th minute.
Footage shared to social media on Wednesday morning showed Neymar, 34, screaming inside the tunnel as he was drawn into a heated exchange with Remo officials on his way to the dressing room.
The enraged Brazilian hurled expletives at the directors and repeatedly shouted the word 'eliminated' before taunting the rivals with a series of gestures at his dressing room's entrance.
The reason behind Neymar's explosive argument with Remo staff is not yet known.
Another video shared to social media showed Remo delegates swearing and gesticulating at the Brazil icon as he goaded them with taunts from behind the barriers.
Neymar was involved in a furious altercation with Remo officials in the tunnel on Tuesday
Ahead of the match, Neymar admitted he could call time on his playing career in December, when his contract at Santos expires.
The forward, who retired from international football last month after breaking down in tears on the pitch following Brazil's World Cup exit, is now considering hanging up his boots altogether.
Neymar, who was widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of his generation during his time at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, returned to his boyhood club Santos from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in January 2025 and has since scored 14 goals in 29 league appearances for the Brazilian outfit.
'I'm not thinking about stopping, nor do I know how long I'll carry on,' Neymar admitted in a video posted to his YouTube channel on Monday.
'I have a contract with Santos until December. I intend to see it through, to honour the Santos shirt as best I can, and then I'll think about it when my contract ends... whether I stay at Santos, move on, stop playing or carry on.
'I really don't know what I'm going to do. There's still a long way to go until December, so let's take it one step at a time.'