Neymar apologises after slapping Santos teenager Robinho Jr

Neymar has apologised to his Santos team-mate Robinho Jr after slapping the teenager during a training session.

According to BBC Sports, the Brazilian club launched an internal investigation after the 18-year-old forward reportedly accused Neymar of delivering “a violent slap to the face” on Sunday following a dribble past the 34-year-old during training at the Rei Pelé Training Centre.

However, both players have since resolved the issue, with Santos confirming on Tuesday that the matter had been “all sorted”.

“If you want an apology in front of the media, here it is,” Neymar said.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward admitted he overreacted during the incident.

“I did overreact, yes, in the way I reacted. It could have been different, but I ended up losing my head,” added Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals.

“Everyone makes mistakes. It was my mistake, his mistake — I made a slightly bigger mistake.

“He’s a boy I like very much, for whom I have a special affection. It happens in football, you argue with your friend, your brother.

“That’s football, it’s part of the game.”

Neymar later celebrated his goal in Santos’ 1-1 draw against Recoleta in the Copa Sudamericana by embracing Robinho Jr on the bench in a public display of reconciliation.

Robinho Jr, son of former Brazil international Robinho, said Neymar apologised immediately after the confrontation.

“It was a situation that upset me because Neymar has been my idol since I was a child,” he said.

“He realised straight away that he’d gone too far and apologised several times.

“People around us say a lot of things that aren’t true, and it’s sad to see it blow up to this level.

“But I’m fine, I like him a lot. We’ve already talked, and it’s all sorted.”