"He remains our main player": Rodrygo defends Neymar following recent criticism

Neymar was struck with a popcorn bag during Brazil's 1-1 draw against Venezuela last Friday and the 31-year-old was criticised by the fans for the frustrating home draw.

Neymar said that he understood that the Brazil fans' expectations were not met but also condemned the popcorn incident and said as quoted from ESPN, "It's sad, obviously it's very sad. I condemn that kind of attitude, you don't have to do it, it's very bad for football and for human beings. I don't come here on vacation, much less to go for a walk, I came to do what I love most, which is to play football and defend my country. Obviously, we are there doing our best, giving our best, and often the result doesn't come, and it is not what the fans expect."

Rodrygo came out in his compatriot's defence and said as quoted from ESPN, "It doesn't change anything if he [Neymar] is 31 or not, he continues with the same quality as always. He remains our main player. Of course, when we lose or draw a game, the responsibility will be greater on him but when we win, it becomes clear that he is our best player and we depend a lot on him."

Even though Neymar set up Gabriel Magalhaes's goal for Brazil, he made a lot of errors on the field as he misplaced 18 passes and also went on to miss a handful number of chances.

Even after Neymar's below-par performance, Rodrygo was still in full praise of the attacker, talked about his performance and said, "He is very important on the field and off the field too. As much as they always say bad things about him, people who live closely with him know that he is totally different from the image that some people have of him. And because I have him as an idol, I'm often sad to see certain comments, to hear the things people say because he helps me a lot."

Neymar will be back in action on Tuesday for Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in Montevideo. (ANI)