Brazilian national soccer team striker Neymar responded with irony to criticism he received for participating in a poker tournament while his Santos teammates were away in Venezuela for a Copa Sudamericana match. In an Instagram story, the player wrote "Life is a joke" and added in Portuguese "Don't take life too seriously."
The post appeared a few hours after images of him playing cards in Brazil emerged, while the Santos delegation was traveling to Caracas to face Universidad Central. Although Neymar's absence from the match had been planned — coach Cuca had decided not to call him up in order to give him more time to prepare physically following his participation in the 2026 World Cup — images of the star at the poker table sparked discontent among some fans.
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