Neymar rose to fame fairly quickly considering the Brazilian football star is just in his twenties, right now. His proficiency with the ball and his moves on the field had people going crazy in no time. His looks and impeccable sense of style further escalated his celebrity status.
However, today is not one of those days where people are swooning over the footballer. Neymar recently posted a picture of himself in a wheelchair after he injured his foot, but the internet did not have any sympathy for him this time.
The reason for this was the caption he wrote with his picture. It was a quote by Stephen Hawking, the genius physicist who was struggling with ALS since he was 21 and passed away on Wednesday, 14 March 2018.
“You have to have a positive attitude and get the best out of the situation in which you find yourself.
Stephen Hawking.”
People on the internet were not happy with what they perceived to be a comparison with the genius of Stephen Hawking. They were angry that Neymar seemed to be comparing his condition with the motor neuron disease that Hawking was suffering from.
1. *Facepalming*
Neymar there, with his sore metatarsal and sprained ankle, marking Stephen Hawking's death by cheerily comparing himself to quadriplegic Stephen Hawking 🤦 pic.twitter.com/f9bkh5AEhb
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) March 14, 2018
2. Ouch!
Neymar usually seems to get social media. This is not one of those times. https://t.co/A0YnRjmtaR
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 14, 2018
3. Why drag Eddie though?
https://twitter.com/DavidSRudin/status/973990051653791747
4. Oh, sweetie!
holy shit neymar what are you doing oh mother of divine Jesus pic.twitter.com/4X6WEVSpEa
— Séamas It Ever Was (@shockproofbeats) March 14, 2018
5. That escalated.
Neymar now officially BEGGING to be hated. Wow.
— AzzurriFanPhil (@AzzurriFanPhil) March 14, 2018
6. The sarcasm is heavy in this one.
Great to see Neymar drawing inspiration from Stephen Hawking as he adjusts to living his life with a sore ankle for a few weeks. https://t.co/VogGFNBI7j
— Si Lloyd (@SmnLlyd5) March 14, 2018
7. Hmmm…
Because a multimillionaire footballer stuck in a chair for a few weeks while a small bone heals is JUST like Stephen Hawking… Or maybe Neymar heard that this Hawking chap was obsessed with 'the stars'? https://t.co/zcwurO8rym
— Sebastian Smith (@SebastianAFP) March 14, 2018
8. He succeeded.
Griezmann: How can I offend the whole of the internet?
Neymar: Hold my beer… https://t.co/uKeF4M8tIl
— James Kilby (@jameskilby1) March 14, 2018
9. Not happy about this.
Fucking hell Neymar, Stephen Hawking had motor neurone disease, not a broken foot 😑 pic.twitter.com/lrZWNpXKjo
— Ryan (@Ryan_Dodds) March 14, 2018
10. Burn!
https://twitter.com/yiadom__/status/974001523008172032
Did he really compare himself to Hawking or was it just a tribute, considering the world lost the genius just yesterday? What do you think?