VIDEO: Neymar vows to become 'new man' over diving
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Updated 30/07/2018 at 09:42 GMT+1
Neymar has vowed to become a "new man" following criticism of his playacting at the 2018 World Cup and promised to bounce back - in an advert.
Neymar
Image credit: Other Agency
The Brazilian has finally addressed some of the criticisms that have come his way and even tweeted it out on his official page:
Emotive, dramatic... but still an advert.
So what did he say?
"Boot-stud on the shins. Kick in the spine. Stomp on the foot.
You may think I overreact, and sometimes I do. But the truth is I suffer on the pitch. You have no idea what I go through outside of it.
"When I leave without talking to the press, it's not because I only like winning, it is because I still haven't learned to disappoint you.
"When I look impolite, it is not because I am a spoiled kid. It is because I have not learned how to deal with my frustrations.
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Neymar
Image credit: Eurosport
"There's still a boy inside of me. Sometimes it dazzles the world. Other times, it pisses everyone off. And my fight is to keep this boy alive. But inside of me, not inside the field.
You may think I've fallen too much, but the reality is I did not fall. I crumbled. And that hurts more than anyone stepping on your operated ankle.
"I took time to accept your criticism. I took time to look at myself in the mirror and become a new man. But now I'm here, with my heart wide open.
"I fell but only those who fall can get up. You can keep throwing rocks at me or you can throw your rocks away and help me get up because when I do get up, the whole country gets up with me."
'A new man every day' - now we just have to see if his behaviour on the pitch changes.
Well, at least he's semi-self-aware.
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