Neymar saves Santos with one leg: "Now I’m having surgery, I want the World Cup"
From the stables to the stars: Neymar’s experience at Santos turned around at the very worst moment for the Brazilian striker, who was seriously injured last Nov. 20 to the meniscus in his left knee in a match against Mirassol but decided to continue playing until the Paulist club was saved. For many, his 2025 was already over, but the’former PSG and Barcelona player, who up to that point had been much criticized in his homeland for a below-expectation return, surprised everyone and suddenly turned into a hero, dragging the club of his childhood to safety.
The club of his childhood has been a hero.
Despite the physical trouble Neymar has weathered the pain by playing the last four league games, scoring five goals and serving a decisive assist. “I came here to help the team in the best way I could – Neymar said after the clear 3-0 victory over Cruzeiro, where he remained on the field for the entire ninety minutes of the match. “The last few weeks have been difficult, I was down morally. I am grateful to those who supported me and to God. Now it is time to rest and then I will have surgery”. His contract expires in January: “I do not know what will happen, now I want to rest, my heart always belongs to Santos” concluded the Brazilian striker.
Neymar is still hoping for a Brazil call-up for the 2026 World Cup, and the Greenoro national team’s coach Carlo Ancelotti himself has not ruled out calling him up if he can recover in time and be in good physical shape for the event in North America. “Neymar is on the list of players who could participate in the World Cup. The Brazilian championship ends on December 7, but then there are vacations. And then, when the Brazilian championship resumes, he will have time to show all his qualities and also his physical condition” explained the coach from Reggiolo.
Neymar’s future is all to be decided: the player may choose to return to Europe to showcase himself ahead of the World Cup. Much will depend on recovery time from the knee injury.
