5 players who are loved by their own fans but hated by rivals

#3 Neymar

Neymar's histrionics in the 2018 World Cup earned him a lot of criticism

Flashy players often earn the ire of opposition fans simply for their willingness to embarrass their opponents, but in the case of players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, that ire is often accompanied by a begrudging sense of respect and awe. However, that isn’t the case for Brazil and Paris St. Germain forward Neymar – who is simply too easy to completely dislike.

It isn’t that Neymar is just a flashy, showboating superstar capable of dismantling even the best defence on his day. It’s not even that he scores boatloads of goals, particularly for PSG, where he’s plundered 67 goals in 78 appearances. It’s more that despite all of his talents, the Brazilian seems far too willing to go to extreme lengths to gain an advantage on his opponents, particularly when it comes to simulation.

Admittedly, Neymar does find himself the target of opposing defenders, who are often willing to foul him in order to stop him – but even so, nobody in football seems to throw themselves to the ground quite as willingly as the Brazilian, who was massively criticised for this in the 2018 World Cup and even earned himself a yellow card against Costa Rica for his unsavoury attempts to win a penalty.

He’s become so infamous for his histrionics on the pitch that French legend Eric Cantona once compared him to a suitcase on wheels, stating “you barely touch it, and yet it turns round for hours and hours”.

Add in the media circus that seems to follow him around wherever he goes, a product of his attempt to usurp Messi and Ronaldo as the world’s most famous player, and it’s easy to see why, despite his talents, most opposition fans simply can’t stand the Brazilian striker.