Neymar’s bitter rival refuses to shake his hand as feud rages on SIX YEARS after pair first clashed

SportFootball NEYMAR renewed his heated feud with bitter rival Thiago Mendes, who refused to shake his hand just before kick-off, this past weekend. The Santos superstar returned to action in the Brazilian Serie A after retiring from Brazil following his last World Cup in July. Neymar renewed his heated feud with bitter rival Thiago Mendes Credit: ESPN Mendes refused to shake Neymar’s hand before Santos vs Vasco da Gama Credit: ESPN The star forward led his team on Sunday when they visited Vasco at Sao Januario in the league when tensions grew between him and Mendes, 34. During the pre-match handshakes, the Barcelona legend greeted everyone but was ultimately snubbed by his rival. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Mendes didn’t accept a handshake from the 34-year-old, who was left smiling awkwardly before proceeding to greet the referees. Their feud dates back in 2020 when Neymar played for Paris Saint-Germain. Everything began during a Ligue 1 match when Mendes – then a Lyon ace – injured his fellow Brazilian. The midfielder committed a late challenge that led to Neymar being stretchered off in tears. Mendes was sent off after a VAR review and later received a three-match ban. Neymar was diagnosed with a sprained ankle and was sidelined for about a month. Most read in Football The Brazil legend’s father Neymar Santos Sr took to social media where he put Mendes on full blast. The defensive midfielder, who apologised online, then claimed he and his family received threats and abuse following the incident. Their rivalry was rekindled six years later this past February during Santos‘ 2-1 win at Vila Belmiro. Neymar was enraged after a foul committed against him and confronted Mendes in the first half. Shortly afterward, the pair began arguing until the ex-PSG star fell to the ground after the Vasco ace touched his face. Both were shown yellow cards and kept arguing throughout the heated match that then saw Neymar bringing up the foul that led to his injury in France. He said: “He always wants to start trouble, he always wants to act tough, it’s always like that. “With all due respect, he’s an idiot. He already hurt me once at PSG, he threatened me today, so let’s see if he’s man enough to hurt me again.” Neymar had the last laugh yesterday as he led Santos to a 3-0 victory against his bitter rival. Comment now