Fifa World Cup: Why the world can't stop mocking Brazilian superstar Neymar

Brazilian golden boy Neymar has copped his fair share of flak at the 2018 World Cup.

A Justin Timberlake-esque hairdo set off an army of trolls in his direction before a single ball was booted. But surprisingly, employing a hairdresser stuck in 2002 wasn't his most cringe-worthy feat of Russia 2018.

The speedy striker's diving antics left even the most diehard defenders of the World Game furious every time he went down screaming agony in an attempt to milk a penalty from the referee.

A particularly bad display, which saw him roll repeatedly after falling over in the group stage against Serbia, had a host of fans fuming in front of their (buffering) iPads.

Anyone buying into the 26-year-old's on-field charade could probably also be convinced Boyd Cordner was fit to stay on the field in Origin II.

Fans put the slipper into the Cup's boy who cried wolf after his nation was booted from the World Cup in the quarter-finals, launching a viral meme — the Neymar challenge — on social media.

Thousands took pleasure in mocking the international superstar as the #NeymarChallenge hashtag exploded on Twitter.

#Copa2018 pic.twitter.com/aakpU9wRrN

— Reality Social (@RealitySocial) June 27, 2018

Mexican Liga MX side Club Tijuana took Neymar down a peg with almost every player on their team rolling down the pitch as halftime entertainment during their match against Herediano over the weekend.

The announcer can be heard excitedly yelling "Neymar Challenge!" over the ground's PA system as hundreds of fans cheered on.

Today’s halftime entertainment: “The Neymar Challenge”. #Xolos #LigaMXeng pic.twitter.com/YuJcglOJF7

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) July 8, 2018

Portuguese National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) put the slipper in particularly hard, using Neymar as the face of their advertising campaign detailing the harm in making illegitimate emergency calls.

The caption warns viewers that over 75 per cent of phone calls made to their offices could be avoided.

"75.8 per cent of calls to 112 are not emergencies," the post — which was liked and retweeted over 10,000 times by gleeful fans — read.

pic.twitter.com/pAJmWGxhKY

— INEM (@INEMtwitting) July 6, 2018

In Neymar's defence, he did reach the quarter-finals, a feat not achieved by blockbuster names Messi and Ronaldo, who both dramatically exited the competition within hours of each other as Argentina and Portugal went down in the round of 16.

But Brazil's exit still came as a shock.

The 2014 hosts and five-time champions fell in an upset on Saturday as underdogs Belgium tore through the favourites 2-1 at Kazan Arena.