Neymar Finally Responds To Fans Who Body Shamed Him Amid Claims That He Is 'Out Of Shape' And 'Overweight'

Neymar has laughed off scathing criticism from fans over his body weight after concerns were raised over his fitness and physique in the summer.

The 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain winger fell short of lifting the Copa America title with Brazil after a 1-0 defeat to Argentina in Rio de Janeiro.

However, Neymar has been accused of being ‘out of shape’ and ‘overweight’ after images of him surfaced online while on summer vacation.

According to Diario AS, the former Barcelona superstar was heavily criticised by the French media after his first appearance for PSG this season.

Mauricio Pochettino started Neymar in PSG’s 2-0 win over Reims, but he withdrew the Brazilian in the second half for Lionel Messi.

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AS reports that ‘complicated return,’ ‘out of shape,’ and ‘little defensively involved’ were all featured in the French press after Neymar’s showing against Reims.

Neymar’s body was once again brought into question during Brazil’s 1-0 win over Chile in their World Cup qualifier on Friday.

However, the Brazil international broke his silence by taking to Instagram Stories to explain why he might have appeared ‘overweight.’

Neymar claimed that the shirt he was wearing for Brazil was a “size G” (L in European size) and insisted he is at his weight, according to AS’ translation.

The PSG forward added that he would “ask for an M” in his next match, as well as accompanying his Instagram Story with multiple laughing emojis.

Instagram Stories/Neymar

Pochettino is an admirer of Neymar and revealed he is “very humble” and “been very open to work.”

The PSG head coach told The Guardian: “It’s so easy with Neymar because you don’t need to do too much.

“From day one, he’s been very open to work. He’s very humble, he listens and always accepts all the instructions in a very good way.

“Brazilian players have something special inside. They love to play football because it’s like a dance. They play like they are dancing.

“Ronaldinho was my teammate when I was a PSG player and now Neymar. They need to feel good, to feel happy to perform in the best way.”

Brazil, who are top of South America’s World Cup qualifying table, will play Argentina on Sunday before facing Peru on 10th September.

Topics: Neymar, Brazil, Football

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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