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Neymar has strongly pushed back against reports that he insulted his younger team-mates Gabriel Bontempo and Joao Ananias during a tense half-time exchange in Santos' recent 2-2 draw with Chapecoense. The Brazilian star used social media to call the claims “a complete lie” and to defend his position as one of the senior figures in the squad.

Neymar breaks silence on dressing room drama

Brazilian icon Neymar has moved swiftly to dismiss suggestions of an internal crisis at Santos after his side's dramatic 2-2 draw with Chapecoense. Even after his on-field brilliance, scoring twice to rescue a point, the experienced forward found himself at the centre of controversy over his behaviour behind the scenes. Reports had claimed that Neymar triggered a dressing-room row by insulting both Ananias and Bontempo.

Speaking directly to the rumours on Instagram Story, Neymar said the story was untrue: “What's up, everyone? Hope you're all having a good Sunday. It's obviously not the Sunday we wanted, but that's life. We have to keep our heads high and keep working.

“Now, I've been seeing reports that I tore into the younger players in the dressing room, which is a complete lie. Whoever is pushing that narrative, please stop. Don't do it. Don't lie.”

Defending the senior core

The former Barcelona and PSG talisman stressed that although the dressing room mood was heated, it was a collective response from the senior leadership group and not a personal attack on the club's younger players.

“Ask anyone who was inside that room,” he continued. “We held the entire team accountable. Lucas [Verissimo], [Willian] Arao, Gabi [Barbossa], and I all spoke up... We're competitive and we want to win. But nobody was picking on the young players. I'm not going to tolerate people saying that.”

The 34-year-old was especially unhappy with the way the reports were presented, describing them as “malicious”.

He added: “Moving forward, I'm not going to accept these lies you're spreading on the internet. Holding each other accountable in the dressing room is completely normal in football. It’s what teams that want to win do.

“The people writing these malicious, fake articles know nothing. You don't know what football is, and you've never been part of a real squad. So...” he said, before finishing the video with a shushing gesture.

Superstar brilliance vs disciplinary woes

On the pitch, Neymar remains Santos' main man, and he used his comeback appearance to silence his critics with a card celebration after scoring one of his two goals. His second goal came from the penalty spot in the closing stages, but the day ended badly when he picked up his third yellow card of the season, which will rule him out of Santos' next Serie A match against Athletico Paranaense at Vila Belmiro.

This disciplinary setback comes after earlier criticism over his professional decisions, including a public appearance at a poker tournament while his team-mates were playing abroad. Even so, his quality under pressure is beyond doubt, as he pulled Santos back into the contest when they were heading towards a disappointing home defeat.

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The fallout at Vila Belmiro

While Neymar has denied that the insults were as serious as reported, the club is said to be reviewing the incident to make sure squad harmony stays intact during a difficult spell of form. The allegations had claimed Neymar called Bontempo “sh*t” and mocked the youngster's future, although both Bontempo and Ananias have since publicly denied that such insults were exchanged.

Santos are now getting ready for a packed run of matches that includes key games in the Copa Sudamericana and the Copa do Brasil. With Neymar set to miss the league clash against Athletico Paranaense, attention in the domestic competition will turn to how the rest of the squad responds without him.