Neymar angrily rejected suggestions he is a "cry baby" as the Paris Saint-Germain star revealed the great sadness that had reduced him to tears following his latest injury setback.
In an emotive Instagram post, the Brazilian was evidently reeling from an adductor injury sustained in PSG's 1-0 Coupe de France win over Caen on Wednesday which has ruled him out for up to four weeks.
That means he will miss the visit to former club Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League next week, with the return leg on March 10 potentially also coming too soon.
It is far from the first time the 29-year-old has found himself sidelined, but he blasted the notion he was a soft touch on the pitch as he lashed out at his detractors.
"The sadness is great, the pain is immense and the crying is constant," he wrote.
"Once again I will stop for a while doing what I love the most in life, which is playing football.
"Sometimes I feel bothered by my style of play, dribbling and always end up being caught [by challenges].
"I don't know if it's me or what I do on the field. It really makes me sad.
"It makes me so sad to hear from a player, coach, or commentator... 'fall down', 'cry baby', 'spoiled' etc.
"I just want to be happy playing football. Nothing else."
Neymar has often suffered untimely injuries at a similar time in previous seasons during his stint at PSG.
In 2018, he sustained a broken toe in February, meaning he missed almost three months of action, with PSG losing 5-2 on aggregate to eventual Champions League winners Real Madrid in the last 16 in his absence.
An ankle injury then kept him out from January to April in 2019, with PSG going out at the hands of Manchester United, though he was fit to help the Parisians overcome Borussia Dortmund in last season's tournament, prior to the coronavirus-enforced suspension.
PSG went on to lose in the final to Bayern Munich, though Neymar has lifted the trophy before, having scored in a 3-1 win over Juventus in the 2015 showpiece.
