Neymar’s controversial absence in the semifinal of the Paulista Championship between Santos and Corinthians placed upon the ace an even greater pressure on the eve of his return to the Brazilian team.
Summoned by Dorival Júnior to the duels against Colombia and Argentina, respectively, on March 20 and 25, shirt 10 was out of classic because of pain in the back of the left thigh.
On the last day 2, in the match in the quarterfinals against Red Bull Bragantino, he had left the field with an edema on site. Although not considered a serious problem, the Santos coaching staff understood that it could get worse if he had acted against Corinthians.
“We took a test in the morning [quinta-feira, dia 6] And I ended up feeling again. Unfortunately it is part of football. It didn’t happen today, but we’ll be back even stronger to fight for our goals, “justified the athlete in a social media post.
The president of Santos, Marcelo Teixeira, also came out in his defense. “If he had the slightest condition, he would be on the pitch. He had training, work like everyone. There was a concern of the coaching staff,” the manager told Santa Cecilia TV.
After finding the discomfort, Neymar went to Rio de Janeiro, where he spent a period of time off that the Santos cast was entitled. He was seen in Sapucaí, where he enjoyed the carnival next to Bruna Bianincardi.
Until the date of the presentation of the players summoned by Dorival, the shirt 10 will have seven days to get rid of the discomfort. The group meets on the 17th, in Brasilia, the stage of the confrontation with Colombia.
Brazil currently appears only in the fifth place of the qualifiers, with 18 points, just behind the Colombians, which add up to 19 – Argentina leads with 25. The top six guarantee a place in the 2026 World Cup. The seventh will still have a chance to compete for a recap.
The striker was the main news on the last list of the Brazilian team, marking his return after more than 500 days since severely injured his knee in a match against Uruguay in October 2023, which left him more than a year without playing.
In the period without Neymar on the field, the Brazilian team made 16 matches and accumulated three losses, seven draws and six wins, with a 52%make -up.
In the last 16 games with the presence of the star until the injury against Uruguay, there were twelve wins, three draws and only one defeat, with the use of 81.25% and the elimination in the quarterfinals of the World Cup to Croatia on penalties.
Far from the national team, Neymar also abbreviated his passage through Saudi Arabia because of physical problems. He hardly played for Al Hilal before off the club and returning to Brazil to play for the team that revealed it.
In the early weeks, he lived a honeymoon with the Santos fans and generated expectation for his return to the national team. In seven matches in the state, he scored three goals – one of them Olympic – and gave three assists. Until its arrival, it seemed uncertain the classification of Santos to the knockout of the tournament.
His absence against Corinthians, however, left many Santos angry, especially for forming how the team led the announcement of the embezzlement, leaving to inform the fans only one hour from the beginning of the semifinal. The athlete’s name was the most commented on X at the time of the game and throughout the dawn on Monday (10).
Now, he will only defend Santos again at the end of March, in the match for the first round of the Brazilian Championship. Back in Serie A after playing the second division in 2024, the Vila Belmiro club will face Vasco on the 30th in São Januário.
