Video: Why Mendes snubbed Neymar
Abdullateef Fowewe
The incident occurred during the pre-match greetings and coin-toss protocol at São Januário on Sunday.
Neymar extended his hand, but Mendes appeared to deliberately ignore him.
The pair later exchanged club pennants but did not shake hands or speak.
However, Neymar’s Santos went on to win the match 3-0.
The tension began in December 2020, when Mendes was playing for Lyon and Neymar represented Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.
Mendes caught Neymar’s left ankle with a heavy scissor tackle, sending the PSG forward off the pitch on a stretcher in tears.
After a VAR review, Mendes was shown a red card and later apologised, saying he hoped Neymar had not suffered a serious injury.
However, Neymar’s camp, including his father, criticised the challenge as reckless and violent.
The incident left lasting resentment between the players.
Their bad blood resurfaced during a Santos match against Vasco in February 2026.
After Neymar scored, he celebrated by gesturing for Vasco supporters to remain quiet, leading to a heated exchange with Mendes.
The confrontation escalated after Neymar fell to the ground following contact near his face.
Both players received yellow cards and continued arguing during the match.
Neymar later described Mendes as a “babaca” and claimed the Vasco midfielder had threatened to injure him again.
Mendes denied wrongdoing, saying he had only demanded respect over Neymar’s celebration.
With no reported reconciliation between the pair, Mendes’ decision to ignore Neymar appeared to be a deliberate continuation of their unresolved dispute rather than a spontaneous reaction to the match.
The frosty exchange quickly attracted attention online, with the video reviving memories of the 2020 tackle and the February confrontation.
As at the time of filing this report, there is no fresh explanation from Mendes specifically addressing the handshake snub.
