The Brazilian Serie A drama started before kickoff between Santos and Vasco da Gama as Thiago Mendes snubbed Neymar Jr.'s pre-game handshake. The Santos forward could only look on in shock as Mendes skipped him during the fair-play handshake. Neymar had his hand up the whole time and did a double-take when his hand was ignored.
The snub may not be a surprise to fans who followed the rivalry back in 2020 when both players played Ligue 1 in France. Neymar was then the left winger for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), while Mendes was the defensive midfielder for Lyon.
