Santos faced Corinthians in a crucial Campeonato Paulista semifinal clash with a spot in the final on the line. However, Neymar was absent from the pitch, raising questions about his fitness. After missing the opportunity to win his first trophy since returning to Santos, Neymar addressed his absence with an injury update.
Santos’ lineup on Sunday surprised fans when Neymar was listed as a substitute. With Rodrigo Garro scoring the decisive 2-1 goal for Corinthians in the 56th minute, many expected the Brazilian star to come on and change the course of the game. However, Santos was eliminated, leaving supporters wondering about Neymar’s condition. After the match, Neymar took to Instagram to explain his absence:
“All I wanted was to be on the field today and help my teammates in some way… but last Thursday I felt some discomfort, and that prevented me from being on the field today. We did a test this morning, and I ended up feeling it again,” Neymar wrote, addressing the setback that kept him out of the game.
The Brazilian forward also offered an encouraging message to Santos fans, looking ahead to future challenges: “Unfortunately, this is part of football… not just today, but we will come back even stronger to fight for our goals!“
Although Neymar had been showing signs of regaining fitness in recent weeks, his injury appears to have originated earlier. In last Sunday’s match against RB Bragantino, Neymar was forced off in the 76th minute after going down with an apparent injury. While initially considered minor, the forward was ultimately unable to recover in time for the semifinal clash against Corinthians.
see also
Neymar’s dream of returning to Barcelona fades: What happened at the Catalan club?
The loss not only cost Santos a place in the Campeonato Paulista final but also denied Neymar an early shot at silverware, less than two months after rejoining the club. With the Paulista title now out of reach, Neymar’s focus will shift to helping Santos compete at the highest level in the Brasileirao.
Neymar and his return to Brazil’s national team
Following their elimination from the Campeonato Paulista playoffs, Santos will return to action on March 30 against Vasco da Gama in their Brasileirao opener. However, Neymar’s focus will first turn to international duty after earning a spot in Brazil’s squad for the upcoming FIFA break.
Neymar is set to feature for Brazil for the first time since suffering a severe ACL injury in October 2023 against Uruguay. The upcoming fixtures include a match against Colombia on March 20 and a highly anticipated showdown against Argentina on March 25, where fans eagerly await a potential Messi-Neymar reunion on the pitch.
