Neymar and Rival Mendes' Feud Resurfaces, Pre-Match Handshake Refusal Brings Up Six-Year-Old Grudge

ScoreFast365 August 17 - According to The Sun, before the Brazilian Serie A match where Santos defeated Vasco da Gama 3-0, the feud between Neymar and Vasco midfielder Thiago Mendes reignited. During the pre-match handshake, Mendes ignored Neymar and refused to shake hands with the Brazilian superstar, leaving Neymar to awkwardly smile and turn to acknowledge the referee instead.

The animosity between the two dates back to a Ligue 1 match in 2020, when Mendes, then playing for Lyon, committed a harsh foul on Neymar, resulting in Neymar being carried off on a stretcher and sidelined for about a month. Mendes received a red card and was subsequently suspended for three matches. Neymar's father publicly condemned Mendes on social media, and although Mendes apologized online, he claimed that he and his family received threats and insults as a result.

In February of this year, the two had another altercation during a match between Santos and Vasco, where Neymar, after being fouled, became emotional and exchanged words with Mendes. Following a clash, both players were shown yellow cards. After the match, Neymar harshly criticized Mendes: “He always wants to stir trouble, always acts tough. With all due respect, he’s an idiot. He injured me once when he was in Paris, and today he threatened me, let's see if he has the guts to injure me again.”