Brazil star Neymar Jr. has gotten a lot of hate at this World Cup for his acting on fouls, and this study from a television station in Switzerland isn't going to help. According to RTS Sport, Neymar has now spent 14 minutes on the ground throughout the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, much to the dismay of the teams he's played against.
This is amazing: A Swiss TV station has tracked Neymar's total time on the ground during the World Cup. It's 14 minutes.
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) July 5, 2018
Also amazing: Google translate decided to teach me the word "roulade"https://t.co/TO6RlBryrL pic.twitter.com/gN4yTyppRd
There are two incidents that stand out. The first came when Mexico's Miguel Layun stepped on Neymar's ankle while going to pick up a ball, which prompted this reaction:
Fair or foul? 😳 pic.twitter.com/XMJUEzEctz
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2018
The other came against Switzerland, which is likely what prompted this study in the first place.
“Neymar! Use Rollout!” pic.twitter.com/K7FER2br1T
— Dylan 🏴 (@dylanwalsh_) June 27, 2018
Opponents tend to play a very physical game against Neymar, who sometimes ups the antics to compensate. Like any soccer player flopping, there's some gamesmanship behind it. Mexico, for example, had been bullying Neymar all match, and he was likely trying to get someone ejected.
Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio called Neymar out for "clowning" after Layun stepped on him, adding that "We had control of the match, but to me it is just shameful that so much time could be lost over one player."
Even KFC got in on the fun.
Spotted Neymar at a local KFC. pic.twitter.com/pxfk2lp49x
— Rodolfo Landeros (@RodolfoLanderos) July 4, 2018
Fourteen minutes is definitely an excessive amount of time to spend on the ground. With that being said, being fouled 14 times through the first two matches is also excessive. It's also worth noting that those minutes aren't typically wasted if the head official is tacking on stoppage time at the end of the halves. It's easy to see why Neymar wants these calls sold. He's sick of being targeted when he touches the ball.