"Neymar, stop playing around."
The Brazilian 'Globo' reported on the 25th (Korean time) that "Santos in the Brazil Serie A advised that Neymar, who has become injury-prone, should focus on recovery" and added, "The player himself is aware that to reduce injuries, he needs to minimize personal activities and concentrate on training."
Neymar started in the home match against Atlético Mineiro on the 17th at Estádio Urbano Caldeira in São Paulo, Brazil, but collapsed in the 34th minute of the first half, grabbing his chronically injured left thigh, thus continuing the legend of being injury-prone.
Neymar, who once set a world record for transfer fees and moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), has suffered from various injuries due to intense marking from opposing defenders since 2017. In October 2023, he injured his knee in a qualifying match against Uruguay for the North and Central American World Cup and underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. After nearly a year of rehabilitation, he returned to play wearing the Al Hilal jersey in the AFC Champions League.
However, during his time at Saudi Al Hilal, he underperformed and only participated in 7 matches over 1 year and 5 months, eventually returning to his former team, Santos, in January this year, hoping to revive his career. After returning, he improved his physical condition and was named in the Brazil national team for the call-up last month, but was excluded again due to a thigh injury sustained during a club match.
This match was Neymar's official return after about 6 weeks, following his withdrawal due to a left thigh injury in the quarterfinals of the São Paulo Championship (Paulista) against Red Bull Bragantino on the 2nd of last month. It was also a special day for Neymar as he was making his 100th appearance for Santos.
He also changed his jersey number to '100' to add symbolism. However, right at the 34th minute of the first half, Neymar collapsed again, grabbing his chronic left thigh. He could not get up by himself and was eventually carried off the field on a stretcher. Seemingly sensing his injury, Neymar lowered his head, showing the tears he had held back. After appearing to have returned, he collapsed again, signaling yet another long rehabilitation period ahead.
Neymar, who is literally suffering from a horrific injury. The expectations within Brazil are immense, but with his collapse once again in his return match, it has led to speculation that his career as a player may be effectively over.
Visaker noted, "Neymar has been suffering from injuries since collapsing at Al Hilal in 2024. The Santos club revealed the player's physical condition through an unusual injury report on injured players," pointing out that "he collapsed just 34 minutes into his starting appearance against Atlético Mineiro."
This media pointed out that "the information Santos released about Neymar's injury was unusually detailed. The report stated, 'Neymar felt discomfort in his left thigh after returning to the game despite recovering from a muscle injury and training to increase muscle mass.' The Santos club concluded the report by explaining that they would train more consistently."
This report effectively acknowledges the long-standing doubts about Neymar's injury-prone nature since his signing. Visaker commented, "It’s not just a simple injury. The muscle condition is terrible. Over the past year, Neymar has only participated in 11 matches, playing 627 minutes. The silver lining is that he seems to be in better condition in 2025 compared to 2024."
Globo analyzed that "Santos is optimistic about Neymar's injury recovery. He was advised to reduce personal activities to not overstrain his thigh muscles as he begins treatment. In the past, Neymar once returned home and celebrated or played after just one rehabilitation session. However, now, he listened to the club's advice and focused on rehabilitation exercises to reduce injuries."
This media emphasized, "This rehabilitation will be led by the club's medical team. Neymar previously underwent treatment with his own medical team, but now the club will manage everything. The club will strictly control the recovery process, unlike his personal medical team. The player himself agreed to this."
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