Neymar accused of assaulting teenage son of former Manchester City star: report

Santos forward Neymar could be on his way back to Europe
Brazil legend Neymar is back at boyhood club Santos (Image credit: Getty Images)

Neymar made a fairy-tale return to boyhood club Santos last year, in a bid to regain form ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star, who remains the most expensive player in football history following his £200m move from the Catalan giants to the French champions in 2017, received a hero's welcome when he came back to the club he had left 12 years earlier.

Santos launch investigation after Neymar involved in alleged training ground bust-up

SANTOS, BRAZIL – DECEMBER 01: Neymar of Santos celebrates a scored goal during a match between Santos and Palmeiras as part of the Brazilian Serie A Championship 2012 at Vila Belmiro Stadium on December 01, 2012 in Santos, Brazil. (Photo by Helio Suenaga/LatinContent via Getty Images)

Neymar started his career at Santos before moving to Barcelona (Image credit: Getty Images)

The incident is alleged to have happened on Sunday, during a session for players who were not involved in Santos' match against Palmeiras the previous day.

Neymar is said to have lashed out at 18-year-old Robinho Junior - the son of former Manchester City and Real Madrid forward Robinho - after he felt "disrespected" when the youngster dribbled past him.

Manchester City's Brazilian forward Robinho celebrates after scoring against Chelsea during their English Premier League football match at The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, north west England on September 13, 2008. AFP PHOTO/ADRIAN DENNIS

Robinho, the father of Robinho Junior, in action for Manchester City (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Brazilian outlet GloboEsporte, the 34-year-old is alleged to have "uttered offensive insults", tripped the youngster, and delivered "a violent slap to his face" before team-mates intervened.

Neymar reportedly apologised to Robinho Jr, with whom he has a "godfather" relationship, and reached out to the player's family to clear the air.

But GloboEsporte claim that the teenager remains upset and his representatives have contacted Santos asking for an internal investigation into the incident, images of the training session, a club statement regarding the measures taken and even a meeting to discuss "the absence of minimum security conditions" at the club and a "possible termination" of his contract.

Santos confirmed they have opened an investigation and said in a statement: "Santos Futebol Clube has become aware of an alleged physical assault committed by a player affiliated with Santos Futebol Clube against another player at the club."

Neymar's team have said they will not be commenting on the matter, according to ESPN.

Neymar Jr of Brazil - here with President of PSG Nasser Al-Khelaifi - during press conference and jersey presentation following his signing as new player of Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes on August 4, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) The most expensive transfers ever

Neymar became the most expensive player of all time when he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Robinho Jr's displays for Santos have caught the eye of several top European clubs, with Liverpool and Chelsea reportedly monitoring him earlier this season.

It could see him follow a similar path to Neymar, who joined Barcelona aged 21 in 2013 and went on to win the Champions League and two La Liga titles.

The forward then signed for PSG before moving to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal ahead of his return to Brazil last year, while in 2023 he passed Pele as his country's all-time top goalscorer.

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Freelance writer

James Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for FourFourTwo and other titles. He started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away, before becoming a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers.

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