Neymar's Apology After Training Incident Raises Doubts for World Cup

SAO PAULO — Neymar’s road back to the World Cup grew even steeper on Wednesday, and this time it had nothing to do with his fitness.

The 34-year-old Santos forward has issued an apology after a training-ground clash with teammate Robinho Jr., an incident that has cast another shadow over his already faint hopes of making Brazil’s squad for this year’s tournament.

Robinho Jr., the 18-year-old son of former Brazil star Robinho, alleged this week that Neymar slapped him during a team session. The claim spread quickly in Brazil, igniting debate around a player who has lived his entire career under the brightest of spotlights and now finds himself fighting not just for form, but for reputation.

The apology came as Neymar attempts to rebuild both. His return to Santos was billed as a homecoming, a late-career circle completed at the club where he first exploded onto the world stage. Instead, the narrative has turned uneasy: injuries, questions over his conditioning, and now a public rift with a teenager carrying one of the most famous surnames in Brazilian football.

For Robinho Jr., still at the very start of his professional journey, the episode thrust him into the center of a storm he did not create. For Neymar, it sharpened the focus on his behavior at a time when every detail around him is being weighed by Brazil’s coaching staff.

World Cups are often unforgiving to aging stars. This one was already shaping up that way for Neymar. Now, with a training-ground incident and an apology added to the file, the question grows louder: has he just made an uphill climb to the Seleção even harder?