“Whoever wants to be a leader must attract others with his attitudes.”

Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who has already led Santos to the Brazilian and Paulista League titles and led the team during the unveiling of Neymar, criticized the player’s attitude on the pitch in the 3-2 defeat to Flamengo. The match was held last Sunday, the ninth of this month.

In a post on social media, Luxemburgo commented on the actions of player No. 10, who complained about his teammates, the refereeing, and the technical staff himself when he was substituted in the second half of the match.

“The name has weight, but the example has more weight. Football is a collective. Whoever wants to be a leader must attract others with his attitude, not just with his words,” the coach wrote.

Luxemburgo commented on the role of leadership in football, stressing that it is expressed through actions more than words.

“Neymar is a great player, but leadership shows in the reaction when the match becomes difficult. Complaining about the refereeing or leaving before the end does not affect the team. Moving the team means continuing to run, raising the level of your teammate and supporting him until the last minute.”

During the match, Neymar received a yellow card due to a complaint, and now he has two cards, which will leave him suspended for the next matches. Santos remains in the relegation zone and has six games to avoid the second division.

This is not the first time that Luxembourg has criticized the attacker’s behavior. In August, during an interview, he mentioned that Neymar’s ego is what is holding him back.

“At 50%, he plays more than anyone else. Neymar has a much bigger ego than him. Santos was Pele’s team, the fans booed Pele and demanded it. And Neymar does not accept anyone holding him accountable, because his ego is bigger. His reaction is to attack and attack anyone who says he is not a good player. He can take criticism and he has to turn it into something positive for him.”