"Bunch of people who never even kicked a ball" - PSG star Neymar hits back at critics who claimed he dived for a penalty in friendly vs Gamba Osaka

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Neymar Jr. has responded to his critics, who surfaced after the French club's 6-2 pre-season friendly win against Gamba Osaka. The Brazilian has been accused of diving inside the penalty box to earn a spot-kick that he converted successfully to get on the scoresheet.

Given that this was a friendly game against a much inferior opposition belonging to the Japanese league, a large section of viewers called Neymar's actions unnecessary and in poor spirit.

In a tweet, Brazilian outlet Globo pointed out the controversial call that went in the PSG forward's favor, taunting him for his ability to sell an allegedly deceitful action to the referee.

The tweet read:

"PSG's 6-2 win over Gamba Osaka had a move that is going viral. Neymar suffers a penalty, let's say, ghost..."

However, when the 30-year-old found out about the tweet, he engaged with it and published his own response, mocking his critics. His reply read:

"Ghost? ge being ge … it's a penalty! Bunch of people who never even kicked a ball and keep doing s**t."

This is not the first time PSG's world-record signing has been slammed for his cheap tricks. He has earned a reputation for going down easily and exaggerating even the slightest of contacts made by the opposition defender.

In the game against Gamba Osaka, the 30-year-old tried to get the better of the defender, who arrived late and committed to a challenge.

The Selecao star could see the defender's trailing leg coming his way and jumped in pain to show contact was made. From the referee's angle, it was a tough call to make, but the PSG forward's reaction helped him sell the penalty. However, on close inspection, it was clear that the defender took his trailing leg away from the Brazilian on time.

The game ended 6-2 in favor of the Parisians, with goals from Pablo Sarabia, Lionel Messi, Nuno Mendes, Kylian Mbappe, and a brace from Neymar, including his controversial spot-kick.

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Neymar's former PSG teammate believes he has 'lost his magic'

Borussia Dortmund full-back Thomas Meunier believes that the Brazil international is no longer the player he once was at Barcelona. The Belgian shared the dressing room with Neymar at the Parc des Princes for three seasons between 2017 and 2020 before moving to the German club on a free transfer.

In a recent interview with Kicker, Meunier gave his thoughts on the PSG superstar. He said (via Le10Sport):

"I have to admit that I was a big fan of Neymar when he was still playing at Barcelona. The remontada is entirely him. If I had been 10 years old, I would have had his poster in my room. In Paris, however, he has lost his magic, from my point of view".