Neymar slaps and kicks the son of disgraced former Brazil star during training session

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Martin Macdonald | Author

Neymar has courted more controversy after a report emerged from Brazil that he slapped and kicked the 18-year-old son of former Manchester City and Real Madrid forward Robinho during training on Sunday.

The Brazilian superstar and Robinho Jr both play for Serie A side Santos and during training this past weekend, the pair got into an altercation.

O Globo reports that Neymar took umbrage to the young attacker dribbling past him during a drill and so slapped him in the face and tripped him up, believing he was being disrespected.

Neymar initially told the youngster to "take it easy" during the training session which led to some pushing and shoving and it was after that Robinho Jr was slapped and kicked.

The representatives of the 18-year-old made an official complaint to the club president.

The team-mates had been training with the reserves after being left out of Santos’s squad for their match against Palmeiras ahead of the Copa Sudamericana match against Paraguayan side Recoleta this coming Wednesday.

To Neymar's credit, he subsequently apologised to Robinho Jr as the players are said to be close and enjoy a "godfather and godson" relationship.

Neymar was left out of the squad for the game as there are concerns over his knee on Palmeiras' synthetic pitch, as he suffered an ACL injury in 2023.

That was the last time he pulled on a Brazil shirt and he holds hope that he will be called up by Carlo Ancelotti for the 2026 World Cup, set to take place this summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Robinho's father, Robinho senior, is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for the gang rape of a woman in a Milan nightclub in 2013.

Junior has been starring for Santos and was handed the number seven shirt in October for the Brazilian giants, having made his debut for the club in July.

There is reported interest in him from Premier League sides as well as new Serie A champions Inter.

He has €100 million release clause, although it was previously reported that Santos are believed to want €15m for his signature due to some financial issues at the club.

According to Bola in Brazil, Santos may cash in on the youngster, with club director Alexandre Mattos previously admitting the teenager could be sold.

"There's a lot of talk about offers, things might reach the press, and they might be used,” Mattos said. “I've been asked about players we haven't even discussed. You can be sure that, if an offer comes in, we'll analyse it. If it's a fair amount, we'll negotiate and even sell.”

Since those comments, though, Robinho Jr signed a contract extension with Santos until 2031, putting to bed transfer rumours unless a mega offer comes in from Europe.