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Neymar jabs back at Bilbao over showboating controversy: 'I will not change my style'

Reuters

Neymar isn't changing. Deal with it.

The Barcelona superstar caused a stir in Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao, angering his opponents and coming under criticism for what they perceived as showboating by the Brazilian.

Neymar, who scored in the Blaugrana's 3-1 win at the Camp Nou, attempted to flick the ball over the head of a defender late in the match - when the result was already beyond doubt - before being thrown to the ground and immediately confronted by a pair of Bilbao defenders.

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Clearly, they felt disrespected.

"I didn't find (Neymar's flick) elegant or sporting. He has experienced players in his team who still have a lot to teach him," Bilbao captain Andoni Iraola fumed after the contest.

Neymar doesn't care.

"This is football, in football these things happen," the 23-year-old said of the incident. "It is incredible. They can get angry, but that is my style of play, and I have been playing like that for many years. I will not change my style of play due to what other players think."

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