The first time Neymar Jr. lined up against his childhood friend Philippe Coutinho in a senior game, his Paris Saint-Germain lost 1–0 to Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League final.

The stakes were not quite so high when the pair faced off for the second time five years later in a Brazilian league match between two relegation battling clubs, but once again a tearful Neymar ended on the losing side. The result was a little more emphatic on this occasion.

Coutinho scored two of Vasco da Gama’s goals in a 6–0 rout away to Neymar’s Santos this weekend. Once he had wiped the tears away, the 33-year-old described the mauling as “the biggest embarrassment I’ve ever experienced in my entire career.” Statistically, he was right. Never before in his previous 738 games as a senior professional had he suffered such a heavy defeat.

Neymar’s previous nadir had actually preceded one of his greatest performances. Shortly after losing 4–0 to PSG in a 2017 Champions League last-16 tie, the mercurial maverick played the defining role in Barcelona’s 6–1 Camp Nou triumph to secure a legendary two-legged turnaround.

PSG were so enthralled by Neymar’s performance that they infamously made him the most expensive player in soccer history that summer. Ironically, Coutinho joined Barcelona in their failed attempts to replace his compatriot.

Back at Vasco after an underwhelming autumn to his career, Coutinho was irrepressible against Santos. Operating as one of two false nines with Nuno Moreira in Fernando Diniz’s characteristically fluid system, the former Liverpool playmaker wreaked havoc tiptoeing between the increasingly befuddled lines of Santos defence.

Vasco took six shots and scored five times during a concussive 17-minute burst at the start of the second half. The home crowd sarcastically chanted “olé” in support of the visitors, who were treated to a deserved standing ovation at the final whistle.

Neymar could not begrudge the angry reaction. “The fans have every right to protest, obviously without violence,” he lamented. “But if they want to curse and insult us, they are in their right.”

“It’s a shame to play that kind of game in a Santos jersey,” the waning forward continued. “Everyone has to think about what they want to do before they put their head on the pillow at home.”

Santos manager Cléber Xavier didn’t have time to get home let alone lay down in bed before the club promptly announced his sacking.

Neymar (centre) with hands on hips.
Neymar (centre) did not attempt a single shot against Vasco. | Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

It will get swept away by the mayhem which followed, but it all could have been so different. While Santos only trailed by a single goal in the first half, Neymar scuttled past Coutinho and slipped Guilherme into Vasco’s box. The Brazilian striker tumbled under contact from Paulo Henrique to win a penalty, presenting Neymar with the chance to equalize. But before the Santos skipper could even begin his stuttering run-up, VAR spotted that Guilherme had strayed offside.

This historic low comes on the eve of Neymar’s widely expected return to the Brazil national team. The country’s all-time leading male scorer was left out of Carlo Ancelotti’s first squad in June to allow a full recovery from injury.

Neymar’s return to Santos began brightly. The frequent fitness doubt took on the captain’s armband and directly contributed to six goals in his first seven appearances, sparking outrageous links with a return to Barcelona this summer. Those spurious whispers were soon quashed as that familiar flood of injuries returned.

Yet, even back to full fitness, Neymar was unable to avoid the worst defeat of his career.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Biggest Embarrassment’—Neymar Reduced to Tears by Record-Breaking Defeat.

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