Neymar Slammed by Gabi After Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona Altercation

Atletico Madrid midfielder Gabi believes Neymar "should learn a thing or two" from Xavi and Andres Iniesta, his Barcelona team-mates.

Gabi suggests Neymar tried to provoke him during Barca's 1-0 win over Atletico on Sunday, a result which saw the Catalan club take the Spanish title away from the Vicente Calderon. Like so often, a tight affair was defined by Lionel Messi's goal. However, Gabi was left reeling by Neymar's attitude on the pitch. 

"It's always the same with Neymar," the Atletico captain said, per Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football. "He should learn a thing or two from his great teammates Xavi or Iniesta. He makes provoking gestures that you shouldn't do. That stays on the pitch."

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Eduardo Alvarez of ESPN FC details exactly what Neymar is alleged to have done:

As injury time ticked over, Atletico defender Diego Godin had to be restrained from approaching Neymar, as highlighted below:

Neymar has proven quick to react throughout the season. At the beginning of April, Conn reported he made a "rude gesture" toward Celta Vigo defender Hugo Mallo, saying the Barca forward allegedly "tried to blow his nose" on a player he has clashed with multiple times since moving to La Liga.

Shortly after this, Conn reported Neymar's "angry gesture" toward Barca boss Luis Enrique. The manager's decision to substitute the 23-year-old provoked "several hand gestures" in his direction, according to Conn's article. As reported by Miles Chambers of Goal.com, Enrique responded to questions over this incident by saying: "I am not interested in talking about this kind of nonsense."

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Neymar's annoyance against Atletico was perhaps brought on by the combative nature of Diego Simeone's side. The Barca forward completed three dribbles and was fouled four times, per WhoScored.com, highlighting the difficulty of dribbling through the Rojiblancos defence. He completed four tackles of his own and received one of eight yellow cards in a physical encounter.

Much of Barca's success has stemmed from the attacking trident of Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez. Neymar has netted 22 and provided six assists in a terrific second season with the club, per WhoScored. He is prone to becoming irritated with the often excessive force of tackles coming his way, but Gabi's comments are likely to remain a footnote on an otherwise brilliant night for Neymar and his team-mates.

The Blaugrana remain on course for a memorable treble. They face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final and Juventus in the Champions League showpiece, meaning Neymar and his team-mates have the opportunity to write their names into the club's history books.

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While he's perhaps frustrating to play against for many reasons—elusiveness and occasional cockiness chief among them—Neymar is the type of individual supporters love and rival fans loathe. He undoubtedly needs to move away from provocative gestures on the pitch, however, something which could land him in trouble one day.