Qatar 2022: Former Brazil player tears Neymar ahead of World Cup match

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Brazil kickstart their World Cup campaign on Thursday as they take on Serbia in their first group stage match. But ahead of that, the Brazil talisman Neymar has been criticized by former player Juninho.

Neymar is going to spearhead the Selecao in the tournament as Brazil eye a 6th World Cup title in Qatar. The PSG forward has netted 75 goals in 121 games for his country and will be aiming to replicate his recent club form on the international stage. But all seems not well with his fellow compatriot Juninho, who took a massive dig at Neymar for polarizing the nation in their recent elections.

Brazil's long-time serving president Jair Bolsonaro was beaten in the elections as left-wing candidate Lula de Silva emerged victorious in the race. And amid the elections, several players including Neymar took the side of Bolsonaro, who is not regarded that highly among the Brazilians.

Neymar openly supported Bolsonaro through his social media and expressed sadness after the latter's loss in the elections. And Juninho has taken up that angle to criticize the Brazil forward.

"Brazilians have had to watch as the national team's captain and star player, Neymar, turned his back on the more than 30 million hungry Brazilians and the 120 million who live on the cusp of food insecurity and backed Bolsonaro as part of a supposed fight against a non‑existent communist threat," Juninho told The Guardian in an interview.

"Having had such success, the former Santos player with a humble background has clearly lost touch with his roots, as well as the plight and needs of the majority of the population that will cheer for him during the World Cup. It is a sad state of affairs," he added.

He also said that South American players always follow the money whereas the Europeans are grown up with a different mentality. He said Neymar's move to PSG was driven by the humongous financial offer and Juninho thinks the former Barcelona man should show his dedication and leadership on the field to reap good results with his national colours.

But the former Brazil international hailed Neymar's quality on the field and regards him as one of the top three footballers in the world at this time. Amid these controversies, a blockbuster outing in Qatar will wash away all the recent reticence towards Neymar. The Brazil forward has previously stated the importance of this World Cup and as a squad, the Selecao are prepared to battle it out for the glory.

Come December 18th, if the 30-year-old comes out with the gold in hand, the nation will definitely be on his side, chanting his name with love, and all of these will be forgotten.