Neymar was left furious after a bizarre substitution mix-up during Santos' 3-0 defeat to Coritiba in the Brazilian Serie A on Sunday.
The incident occurred in the 65th minute when the 34-year-old forward was receiving treatment on the opposite side of the pitch from the team benches. Unaware that his number had been displayed by the fourth official, Neymar prepared to rejoin play only to find that substitute Robinho Jr., the 18-year-old son of former Brazil star Robinho, had already entered the field.
When Neymar attempted to return, the referee instructed him to leave the pitch, sparking an angry reaction from the Brazilian star. Neymar demanded to inspect the hand-written substitution slip shown to the fourth official, which reportedly revealed that Santos coach Cuca had actually intended to substitute defender Gonzalo Escobar, who wears number 31, but the wrong number had been communicated before play restarted.
Santos were already trailing by three goals at the time, and the defeat pushed the club into the Serie A relegation zone.
The match also represented Neymar's final opportunity to impress Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the upcoming World Cup squad announcement. Brazil are expected to announce their World Cup squad on Monday at around 5 p.m. Brazil time, which will be early Tuesday in India.
Despite being Brazil's all-time leading scorer, Neymar has so far been overlooked by Ancelotti.
After missing the start of the campaign following knee surgery, Neymar has featured in only eight of Santos' 16 league matches this season, scoring four goals and picking up five yellow cards.
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