Neymar angrily responds to his critics: 'Mind your own business'

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

The striker responded to fans' 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 in the Copa Sudamericana (South American Cup), 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 I remembered that during my day off, many people started talking about me going to play poker."

He added sarcastically: "I trained this morning, 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 very upset, ended the video by slapping his phone camera in frustration.

Neymar joined Santos last Friday after spending a few days of vacation 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, meaning 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.