Relegation also for Borré
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Neymar was able to avoid relegation in the Brazilian championship with FC Santos on the last matchday and even made it to twelfth place. The 33-year-old offensive star was on the pitch for 90 minutes in the 3-0 win against EC Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte, the third win in a row, despite physical complaints. Afterwards, Neymar only wanted to superficially answer questions about his open sporting future – to do this, he announced a meniscus operation in his left knee.
“Now I want to rest for a week and forget about football. But of course my heart is always with Santos. Santos is my top priority,” explained the 33-year-old, whose contract is about to end, according to O Globo. “I came here to help in the best possible way. It’s been a difficult few weeks for me. I was mentally down. I thank everyone who stood by me and helped me get back on my feet. Without them I would never have been able to play these games. And thank God. These injuries, these knee problems. Now it’s time to rest.”
With five goals and one assist, Neymar played a crucial role in Santos’ successful season finish in recent weeks. Former Bundesliga striker Rafael Borré (14 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen) also pulled his head out of the noose with SC Internacional just in time and secured relegation with a 3-1 win against Red Bull Bragantino. The 30-year-old Colombian came from Frankfurt for 6.5 million euros in 2024 and delivered 19 goals and seven assists in 76 games.
Neymar whistled for FC Santos on the advice of doctors
Since his cruciate ligament tear in October 2023, which put him out of action for a year, Neymar has no longer been able to maintain his previous level of performance. He repeatedly struggles with physical problems. Since returning to youth club FC Santos at the beginning of the year, the captain has had to sit out three times due to thigh injuries, missing 15 games alone. Neymar also had to cancel his comeback to the Brazilian national team after a year and a half in March.
With the 3-0 win at EC Juventude, which had already been relegated, Neymar and Santos had recently taken a big step towards staying in the league. The 128-time national player scored a flawless hat trick within 17 minutes. At the end of November, doctors recommended that he not play football at all until the end of the year due to a meniscus injury. Neymar didn’t listen to the doctors’ advice and gritted his teeth for Santos.