Fingers gone, ‘fake news’ remains: Neymar reacts to video of stolen ring

Al Hilal forward denies story surrounding viral video

Neymar has had enough. He was forced to clarify an alleged theft of a ring from his hand after a video of him greeting a fan in the stands circulated on social media.

The Al-Hilal player, who is injured again, denied the story built around the video: in the images of the Al Hilal game against Esteghlal, from Iran, for the Asian Champions League, Neymar shakes hands with a fan before entering the field, then looks back and at his own hand, as if he had lost something. But he continues on his way.

The video’s caption reads: “Ring stolen from Neymar and put up for auction for 14 thousand euros.”

“You guys are going crazy! This week alone, there have been three fake news stories. A page this size, full of followers, spreading lies. It’s hard… it’s a shame that Brazil treats me like this,” he commented on a post from a football fan club on Instagram. Other fake news stories he refers to concern Al Hilal’s alleged desire to terminate their contract.

The game against Esteghlal was only Neymar’s second after returning from injury. He felt pain in his right thigh and ended up being substituted, having to be out for about a month. “I felt like I had a cramp. It’s normal for this to happen after a year. The doctors had already warned me. That’s why I have to be more careful,” explained the Brazilian player.