Neymar laughed off controversy Thursday over reports he was throwing a mega New Year's party for 500 guests, posting a video online of preparations for what he called a "low-key dinner" with family and friends.

The superstar footballer has faced a flood of criticism in his native Brazil and beyond over reports that despite the COVID-19 pandemic he was ringing in 2021 with a week-long bash for hundreds of people at his mansion outside Rio de Janeiro. However, he took to Instagram several hours before midnight to show his New Year's Eve plans, which he described as small-scale.