The Banned Penalty Trick Being Brought Back in Brazil

Back Like He Never Left

Can you remember Neymar's infamous penalty-taking technique known as the Paradinha? Yes the one that was banned in 2010 by FIFA for "unsporting behaviour". Neymar used to cleverly prepare his run-up until he was about to shoot, then he would feint, sending the keeper one way and then scoring into the open half of the goal.

It was genius and a nightmare for goalkeepers - they knew they could not afford to guess early, as Neymar would just go the other way. It worked well for him, as he scored 11 out of 14 penalties for Santos, a tidy record by anyone's standards.

He really was the epitome of a 'wonderkid' that set the stage alight at such a young age. FIFA knew his techniques had to be stopped before they got out of hand.

Never forget that Neymar at Santos was the reason FIFA changed the penalty kick rule😭pic.twitter.com/dCHsaU2i4t https://t.co/LF4UdPCV9o

— (fan) Trey (@UTDTrey) February 5, 2025

Flash forward to today, and Neymar is back at his boyhood club Santos after an intermittent spell in Saudi Arabia in the hope of being in contention for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup. The former Barcelona and PSG man has struggled with his fitness over the last few years and has made only a handful of appearances. However, he has managed to score 3 goals in 14 games this season, which has pleased the neutrals.

Just a couple of days ago, Neymar had X on strings after Santos' match against Fortaleza. The 33-year-old nearly rewrote the former narrative of the Paradinha, but this time, it wasn't from 12 yards. He did it on a free kick.

It was deep into injury time, and Neymar had the chance to win the game through a set piece just outside the box. To the complete surprise of everyone in attendance, Neymar began his run-up and paused just before striking the ball.

The opposition wall was baffled, and Neymar managed to curl the ball around them with precision. While his strike didn’t go in, it did force a great save out of the Fortaleza goalkeeper, who was scrambling towards his far post. Despite the famous feint, Neymar still managed to get a good amount of power behind the strike. It was almost an identical replica of his penalty run-up over a decade ago, and it once again nearly worked in his favour.

It might not bring him any closer to Carlo Ancelotti’s 2026 World Cup side, but it was blowing up X just like he used to do all those years ago. It will only be a matter of time before FIFA bans another Neymar classic.

Neymar almost scored this paradinha free-kick, his OG penalty kick technique that got banned by FIFA 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9wiBPeZdJb

— Ginga Bonito 🇧🇷 (@GingaBonitoHub) November 1, 2025