FOOTBALLER Neymar has been slammed after it emerged he earned over £200,000 for a 90-second video in which he apologises to the Brazilian people for appearing like a “spoilt kid” on the football pitch.

The ill-conceived ad shows the Brazilian forward admitting he exaggerated fouls during the World Cup, but pledging to become a “new man” after his disastrous World Cup in Russia.

4 Neymar has been slammed after it emerged he was paid £200,000 for his infamous apology video

Neymar - who scored twice in the tournament after recovering from a broken foot - was widely criticised for his theatrics and frequent dives on the pitch, until Brazil’s shock quarter-final exit against Belgium.

The 26-year-old superstar, the most expensive player in history, was subsequently left off the shortlist for FIFA’s Best awards.

In the video the Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain star claims he walks off the pitch without giving interviews “because I still haven’t learned to disappoint you” and promises to keep the “little boy inside of me” away from the field.

Neymar’s apparently heartfelt pledge to accept criticism and vow to bounce back was released on Sunday in the commercial break during a primetime news show by his sponsors since 2015, personal care products manufacturer Gillette.

4 Neymar made a less than convincing apology after some atrocious dives at the World Cup Credit: Reuters

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But the contrite video spectacularly backfired after sources told Brazilian newspaper O Globo that the player had been paid “well over a million Brazilian reals” - more than £200,000 - to read the text, prepared by advertising company Grey.

The source said: “Grey is Gillette’s ad agency for the whole world and has been with the brand for years. The idea was approved very quickly, and Neymar’s team also liked the idea.

“The text is very good, but Neymar didn’t interpret it well. I think he should have tried harder to make the text sound like he meant it and speak with his soul.”

Social media users also lambasted the video, which includes footage of his dramatic dives and rolls during the World Cup, criticising the player for releasing an “artificial” statement through a sponsor after refusing to face the media since leaving Russia more than 20 days ago.

4 It turns out Neymar was paid by one of his sponsors to say sorry, and he didn't even write the words himself

Well known sports commentator Daniel Perrone wrote: “Imagine the worker who gets up at 5am on Monday morning hear one of the planet’s highest paid footballers complaining about the hardships of his life. And earning money for it? It’s not going to go down well.”

But one person who has defended Neymar is his mother Nadine Santos, who said in a social media post: “I am your greatest admirer and with all respect, do not beat yourself up with words and accusations from those who you not love your neighbour.

“Know that they are a minority near the people who love you and especially who know your heart. I love you and I will always be with you my son… My warrior!”

The ad started with Neymar saying, "Boot-stud on the shins. Kick in the spine. Stomp on the foot. You may think I overreact, and sometimes I do. But the truth is I suffer on the pitch. You have no idea what I go through outside of it.”

He approached many of the actions for which he has earned criticism among Brazilians, including his tendency to storm of the pitch after a defeat and his reputation as a “spoilt kid”.

He said: "When I leave without talking to the press, it's not because I only like winning, it is because I still haven't learned to disappoint you.

"When I look impolite, it is not because I am a spoiled kid. It is because I have not learned how to deal with my frustrations.

"There's still a boy inside of me. Sometimes it dazzles the world. Other times, it pisses everyone off. And my fight is to keep this boy alive. But inside of me, not inside the field.

4 Neymar's mother has come to his defence in the wake of the criticism Credit: AFP

"You may think I've fallen too much, but the reality is I fell apart. And that hurts more than anyone stepping on your operated ankle.

I took time to accept your criticism. I took time to look at myself in the mirror and become a new man. But now I'm here, with my heart wide open.

"I fell but only those who fall can get up. You can keep throwing rocks at me or you can throw your rocks away and help me get up because when I do get up, the whole country gets up with me."

But Brazilian football fans branded the video “contrived” and “artificial” and recalled how Neymar often only speaks when paid by his lucrative sponsors, which has earned the player the nickname ‘Neymarketing’.

One, Grande Peaga, wrote: “It would have been better for Neymar to have kept quiet. He must have earned a fortune to say that. Neymar, go and play football. I wish I was suffering as much as you, do you want swap places with me? Go jump.”

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Alexandre Bury commented: “The guy expresses himself via ADVERTISING? Simply unbelievable.”

Another, Paulo Rogrigues, wrote: “Neymar continues the same. Everything thought out and prepared by others. Even his ‘mea culpa’ is millimetrically prepared by third parties. Will he ever express his own opinion about anything?”

According to the O Globo newspaper, executives from Gillette and the Grey agency were in “crisis management” talks yesterday after the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the advert in Brazil.

A spokesman for Gillette today defended the video, saying: “Gillette’s new campaign invites all men, starting with its ambassador, to reflect on the new chances which every new day offers, to be better than yesterday.

“Like many others, Neymar faces challenges, injuries and defeats, and Gillette’s aim is to encourage ALL MEN, without distinction, to reflect on the opportunities to become “a new man every day”.