For many football fans, this was meant to be the summer when Neymar came of age.

The world's most expensive player was part of the Brazil side that went into the World Cup as favourites, while persistent speculation had also linked him with a move to Real Madrid.

Both of those targets have been put on the backburner for now. The Selecao exited at the quarter-final stage while the 26-year-old has confirmed he will spend the coming season with PSG.

Sadly, his time out in Russia will be better remembered for his playacting than for his two goals and one assist.

His reaction to a minor stamp from Miguel Layun prompted outrage from Mexico and his melodramatic behaviour arguably stopped the 30-year-old from being sent off.

It also resulted in the 'Neymar' challenge, the internet craze which saw him ridiculed by people rolling around on the floor.

The challenge was even taken up by Mexican side Club Tijuana, who held a half-time contest mocking their adversary.

More recently, Neymar himself even posted a video embracing it, but his international and domestic team-mate Dani Alves, who missed the World Cup through injury, has not been amused in the slightest.

Instead, the full-back insists the former Barcelona man deserves more respect.

Alves has his say 

"No. I don't think it's a joke," Alves said, per ESPN.

"When it becomes repetitive, it stops being a joke and starts to be something trying to cause damage.

"But I think human being intelligence is not to let these kinds of things shoot you down. We who are around him are making sure that it doesn't matter to him. The most important thing is about who you are, not what others think about you."

When asked about rumours that Neymar would be leaving the Parc des Princes after just one season, he added:

"Look, I don't guess because he who guesses isn't sure of anything.

"I hope Ney remains because the story that he has at Paris Saint-Germain and in football must be reinvented year after year and it's not because you haven't completed a goal that you must give up on it," Alves said.

"Really, I think that champions and people who want to build a true story in a profession, they must struggle to reach the goal.

"When the goal is achieved, he can go wherever he wants, but the mission is not accomplished yet and like we say: mission given is mission accomplished, and if it's not, we must try to complete it."

Having now silenced that speculation, Neymar must be hoping he can attract attention for the right reasons in the coming campaign as PSG defend their Ligue 1 title. 

Do you think people are being harsh on Neymar? Have your say in the comments.