Neymar criticised for not attending Pelé’s funeral

“I read this sentence somewhere, at some point in my life. But this beautiful sentence is incomplete. I would say that before Pelé, football was just a sport. Pelé changed everything.

“He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, to blacks and above all he gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King! He is gone, but his magic will remain. Pelé is ETERNAL!”

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Many expected the Brazil captain to return to his homeland to pay tribute to the 82-year-old however he has opted to remain in France and train with PSG.

Brasil Urgente presenter Jose Luiz Datena is one of those who has blasted the forward’s decision, saying: “If Neymar wanted to be freed, he came.

“Neymar could very well have pressured PSG to come here. He has already pressed the club several times to come to parties, why not ask PSG to say goodbye to Pelé? I think Neymar, as a Brazilian player, had an obligation to come and see Pelé’s coffin to say goodbye to him. It was important for Brazilian football.

Neymar’s father was in attendance and revealed that his son had spoken to him about going in his absence.

“Today is to support the family, we have lost a lot,” he said. “He inspired so many people and the sport, he got us here today. He has inspired all generations, he has always been a reference.

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