The Awkward Reason Why Neymar Failed to Attend Pele’s Funeral

• Pele, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, died at the age of 82
• Tributes have flooded in from far and wide for a man widely considered the greatest
• Meanwhile, PSG superstar Neymar failed to attend the funeral due to training in France

It was not lost on many people that Neymar did not attend the funeral of footballing legend Pele on Monday.

Pele, football's first global icon, passed away on Thursday, December 29 after a long battle with cancer.

Widely regarded as the greatest footballer to have ever graced the sport, Pele is deemed a revolutionary character in the history of football.

Since the death of the man once described as a 'non-exportable national treasure', a bucketload of tributes have poured in from world leaders, sports personalities and fans alike.

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Neymar absent at Pele's funeral

Hundreds of people, including FIFA president Gianni Infantino, stormed the stadium of Santos to pay their last respect to the icon during a 24-hour public wake.

However, the same cannot be said about Brazil star Neymar who was not in attendance.

The Paris Saint-Germain star and Pele currently share the top spot in Brazil's all-time scoring charts with 77 goals each.

Many football fans expected Neymar to travel to Brazil for the funeral but he decided to stay in France.

And according to TNT, noted by Marca, the 30-year-old was not released by PSG to go to the funeral. The report further states that Neymar himself decided that it was not a good time to travel to Brazil.

Instead, his father was present to essentially be his representative.

Tributes pour in for Pele

Sports Brief earlier reported that the sporting world has taken to various social media platforms to pay tribute to the legendary Brazilian football icon, who passed away on December 29.

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The only player to win the FIFA World Cup three times, Pele died at age 82 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

The former footballer is regarded as the greatest of all time, following his trailblazing achievements in the game.