The tackle which originated the fight between Neymar and Semedo?

Semedo did not react like Neymar after been tackled.

It’s a rarity when two professional footballers have to be separated by their teammates after getting physical because of a foul. There must be something more to it, and looking at videos from the past, we may have found the key.

Though some believe the events that happened in this video took place in the same training session that ended in the infamous brawl, the truth is it is a few days older.

The stadium is the FedExField, where Barcelona faced Manchester United. The red seats give it away. The ground where the fight took place is an open space, without big stands.

Looking at the video, we can see that the history between the two players began before. In fact, lacking further evidence, it seems it was Neymar who hit first.

The footage shows the Brazilian lunging in on a tackle on the right-back. The late kick catches Semedo who rolls down in pain, but the former Benfica man stands up almost immediately.

Neymar, far from worrying about his teammate’s health, continues about his own business. Following such a tackle, one would expect the Brazilian to at least help his colleague up. But he doesn’t, and they just ignore each other.

This invites our imagination to flow, as it all points towards an event which occurred prior to the spat which was caught on camera. Something when Semedo was still at Benfica, for such an enmity does not forge itself in under a month.

The rest we know. A few days later, Semedo tackled Neymar, and the Brazilian reacted far worse than his teammate had just days earlier.