Neymar lashes out after Thiago Mendes refuses handshake before Vasco-Santos match

Neymar criticised Thiago Mendes after the Vasco da Gama midfielder declined to shake his hand prior to the Brasileiro Série A Matchday 23 fixture at Estádio Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, August 16. The Santos forward reacted with a tense glare that circulated widely on social media and spoke about the incident after the game.

The handshake refusal prompted Neymar to recount past incidents between the two players and to downplay Mendes’ standing. “To be honest, I don’t care too much about that dude (Mendes). He’s a nobody to me,” he said, adding: “In 2020, he broke my ankle, which I think he did purposely. And I didn’t take that for granted. We had a little fight in our last game against each other, which I think is normal in a football game.” He also said: “I wasn’t even thinking about him that much in today’s game because I don’t care about him, and he refused to shake my hand, which I see as very disrespectful.”

The two players’ enmity dates back to a 2020 Ligue 1 meeting between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon when Mendes made a late sliding tackle on Neymar. Mendes was sent off for the challenge, later apologised on social media and expressed hope his opponent had not suffered a serious injury; Neymar ultimately sustained a sprained ankle and his father criticised Mendes on social media, while Neymar himself did not comment at the time.

They clashed again in February when Neymar confronted Mendes over a first-half challenge; Mendes touched Neymar’s face and Neymar went to ground, and both players received bookings for the incident. That episode was cited by Neymar when he addressed the handshake matter after Sunday’s match.

On the field, Santos secured a 3-0 victory over Vasco da Gama, with goals from Gabriel Barbosa, William Arao and Luan Peres. Reflecting on the result, Neymar said: “Well, the most important thing is that we still won against them today, and he (Mendes) can keep crying,” and added: “Everyone knows Neymar Jr., but no one even knew the name Thiago Mendes until today.”

The handshake refusal occurred before the Matchday 23 game at Estádio Vasco da Gama on August 16; this report was published on August 17, 2026, and the original piece noted Sushruta as the reporter, who has spent over two years covering football.