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Neymar, the World Cup's favorite flopper, explains his antics

The Brazilian player says in an ad that he's "not a brat," but he does sometimes exaggerate on the pitch. No duh.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, generational studies. Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper
2 min read
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Brazilian star Neymar may not have claimed the World Cup trophy, but he certainly dominated the meme wars, where everything from his flopping to his hair was dissected.

Now, in a new Portuguese-language ad from Gillette, the controversial player offers an explanation -- of sorts -- for the 14 minutes he spent rolling on the pitch.

"When I act like a brat, it isn't because I'm a spoiled child but because I still haven't learned to deal with my frustrations," Neymar says in the ad.

He also admits that sometimes he does exaggerate his on-pitch falls, but says that he also suffers, adding, "the truth is I did not fall ... I fell apart."

The ad ends with Neymar seeming to apologize, saying, "You can keep throwing rocks at me, or you can throw your rocks away and help me get up. Because when I do get up, buddy, the whole country gets up with me."

Fan reaction was mixed when Neymar himself tweeted out the ad. Some rooted for the player to live up to his words, but others still responded by calling him an "actor" and a "faker," noting that it might take some time for Neymar to win back any hearts.

While the next World Cup isn't until 2022 in Qatar, Neymar also plays for French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain, so he'll have plenty of time to prove he won't, uh, flip-flop on his promise.

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