Neymar must stop playing the frown

WHY do we love watching Brazil? It’s simple: they play for the joy of the game, with a smile on their faces and they possess the ability to mock an opponent with pure talent. But I’m not seeing any of that in Russia from their star man, Neymar, and what a shame that is. He’s playing with too much spite, there are too many histrionics from him, and he needs to cut out all of that immediately.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both ride physical challenges — or at least the modern interpretation of them — game after game but they get up, dust themselves off and carry on. At 26, Neymar is no longer a baby and if he wants to be judged alongside those two he has to keep his mouth shut, score goals and help Brazil win the World Cup.

But he’s showing himself to be a bit Paul Pogba-esque, all about the bling and persona instead of being about the footballer, which is what Ronaldo and Messi are.