Why Did Neymar and a Boca Juniors Player Mock Vasco da Gama After Their 2026 Copa Sudamericana Semifinal Exit?
Vasco da Gama’s elimination sparked taunts from Leonel Flores and Nay. A personal rivalry explains the Santos star’s gesture.
Neymar, Leonel Flores, and other Boca Juniors players mocked Vasco da Gama after knocking the Brazilian side out in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana semifinals. The taunts were directed at Thiago Mendes, captain of the Brazilian team, who had provoked the Argentine club after winning the first leg.
BOCA COME FROM BEHIND TO ELIMINATE VASCO DA GAMA
Boca Juniors defeated Vasco da Gama 3-1 at the Maracanã Stadium, overturning their 1-0 first-leg defeat. Lautaro Di Lollo and Miguel Merentiel scored in the first half, while Puma Rodríguez pulled one back for the Brazilian side after the break.
With the tie level, Leandro Paredes sealed the victory with a long-range shot that found the net following a mistake by goalkeeper Léo Jardim. The result secured Boca's place in the final and sparked celebrations, but it also reignited tensions between the two teams.
LEONEL FLORES FIRES BACK AT THIAGO MENDES WITH A TAUNT
The controversy began after the first leg, when Thiago Mendes shared an AI-generated image showing him breaking the Boca Juniors crest. The post angered the Xeneize squad, and the Brazilian midfielder eventually deleted it and issued an apology.
Following Boca's qualification in Brazil, Leonel Flores responded in kind by posting an image of himself breaking the Vasco da Gama crest, accompanied by emojis calling for silence. However, the Boca player deleted the story just a few minutes later.
Head coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena also addressed the posts, saying he would speak with his player. In addition, Ángel Romero confronted Mendes after the match over what he considered a lack of respect for the Argentine club's crest.
WHY DID NEYMAR BACK BOCA JUNIORS?
Neymar joined in the taunts by posting a video of an Argentina national team jersey bearing Paredes' name. The gesture drew attention because the Brazilian star supported an Argentine player following the elimination of a club from his own country.
The explanation involves both friendship and personal rivalry. Neymar and Paredes shared the dressing room at Paris Saint-Germain from 2019 to 2022, while the forward has had a strained relationship with Thiago Mendes since their clashes in French soccer. In 2020, a challenge by the midfielder caused an ankle injury to the Brazilian star.
Additionally, Neymar has a special connection with Santos, the club where he developed as a player and to which he returned in 2025. Although Santos and Vasco da Gama are historic rivals in Brazilian soccer, Neymar's taunt was primarily linked to his personal feud with Mendes and his friendship with Paredes.
As a result, Boca's qualification not only secured a place in the Copa Sudamericana final but also turned social media into another battleground in the ongoing dispute between the players involved.
