Do we like Neymar?
Our score: 4 out of 10. Real stains on both tests, an apology after the 2026 blow-ups and real charity work, but no clear pattern of campaigning against anyone.
Neymar is the boy from Santos who became Brazil's talisman: 130 games, 80 goals and 58 assists, with a 2013 Confederations Cup as his only senior trophy with the national team. After Brazil's 2026 World Cup exit he said through tears, “I started here, I finished here,” and signalled the end of his Brazil career.
On the court record, he is clean in the big one. Spain's Supreme Court confirmed in April 2026 that Neymar, former Barcelona presidents and others were acquitted of corruption charges over his 2013 move to Barcelona, after an appeal by a Brazilian firm that claimed it lost money on the deal. The court said the accusation was inconsistent with the proven facts.
The harm check starts with politics. Days before Brazil's 2022 election, he posted a TikTok video of himself dancing to a pro-Bolsonaro campaign song and flashing Bolsonaro's number, 22. The song refers to voting machines Bolsonaro has claimed, without evidence, are open to rigging. Critics said it showed a lack of social awareness, and he fired back that people who disagree get attacked. A 2026 report describes him as close to the Bolsonaro family, though he rarely speaks about politics.
Two further marks. In 2020 an LGBT activist filed a complaint with São Paulo prosecutors, alleging Neymar used a homophobic slur in a leaked private recording; the report doesn't say how it ended or what he said. In April 2026, after a yellow card, he said the referee had woken up “chico”, slang Brazilian media read as sexist, and later apologised.
The 2026 season has been messy. An 18-year-old Santos teammate alleged Neymar hit him in training; Neymar said he overreacted, apologised and sorted it out. Brazilian media also reported he insulted young teammates, which he denied, and he had a dispute with a fan and a post-match run-in with Remo officials, with no sanctions reported. It reads as a bloke with a short fuse, not a campaigner.
The good stuff is real. In February 2026 he copied Vinicius Jr's corner-flag dance after scoring twice, after Vinicius faced racist abuse in a Champions League game, and said it was planned for him. He also runs the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr, a children's charity in Praia Grande whose annual charity auction has a 2026 edition lined up with a sports channel.