Barcelona’s Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. clashed with teammate Nelson Semedo during a training session on Thursday, storming off the pitch after the scuffle. The incident, which was caught on video, comes as the team is preparing to face its rival, Real Madrid, on Saturday morning.
Video footage posted online by the Daily Mail shows the Brazilian forward angrily confronting Semedo after an aggressive tackle, with the players appearing to exchange kicks. In the footage, Neymar can be seen being restrained by Sergio Busquets, another teammate, after several members of the team leapt into action to put an end to the conflict.
Barcelona’s training appears to come to a halt for the duration of the video, with the scuffle drawing the attention of most of the players on the pitch.
Neymar shrugs off his training garb after the incident caught in the video, angrily tossing it to the ground. The video eventually goes on to show the 25-year-old forward leaving the pitch after the brief but intense scuffle, which occurred in Miami, Florida.
The incident comes amidst rumors Neymar will be exiting Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in a record-setting £196 million move. ESPN FC reported last week that Neymar and PSG had agreed on a set of terms for a contract, which its sources say will last a minimum of four years.
Other media outlets have also reported that the trade is virtually a done deal.
“Only a miracle will keep him, he really has made up his mind to leave,” a source previously told Sky Source News.
“At the age of 25, he thinks it’s his time to win the Ballon d’Or,” Sky Source News ‘ source goes on to report. “He believes he can be the best player in the world at another big club.”
When previously questioned about Neymar’s future in an interview with the New York Times , Barcelona’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu expressed his concern about losing the player.
“Well, you know, Neymar is one of our best players, and so we don’t want to lose that player,” Bartomeu said to the Times.
Barcelona is currently finishing up its tour in the United States, with Neymar having scored the winning goal over Manchester United in their most recent game on Wednesday.
[Featured Image by Patrick Smith/Getty Images]
