Neymar, the Brazilian Santos striker, said he was on his day off after being attacked for attending a poker tournament while his teammates played a qualifying match in Venezuela. The player advised his critics, saying: 'Mind your own business.'

The striker responded to fan comments accusing him of lacking commitment due to his involvement in card games while his team Santos faced Universidad Central de Venezuela in the first leg of the knockout round, aiming to qualify for the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, as reported by Spanish newspaper Marca.

The player wrote on his social media accounts while doing physical training in the gym: 'I was here preparing for the second training session and remembered that during my day off, many started talking about me going to play poker.'

He added sarcastically: 'I trained this morning and did not go to the match, then returned to training. I was on a break. But they are still talking. I am preparing for training. Am I allowed to train, or will they continue to criticize me too? Mind your own business.'

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player, who appeared extremely upset, ended the video by slapping his phone camera in frustration.

Neymar joined Santos last Friday after spending a few days off following his modest participation in the 2016 World Cup, where Brazil was eliminated in the round of 16 by Norway.

The 34-year-old striker began a specific physical program to regain his fitness, which meant he did not travel to Valencia with the rest of his teammates for the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana qualifiers, which took place on Tuesday.