Neymar stars as Santos avoid relegation but the Brazilian's future for club and country is unclear

Martin Macdonald

• 8 Dec 2025 09:00 CST
• 5 min read

Nieuws

Neymar may or may not have played his final match for Santos.

It has been a tumultuous campaign for the Brazilian Serie A side, but they managed to avoid relegation on the final match of the season at the weekend.

Each season, four teams are relegated from the division and heading into the last fixture Santos were in grave danger of finishing in the bottom four, but things were so tight in the bottom half of the table that they ended up finishing in 12th.

Just six points separated Gremio, who finished ninth, and Fortaleza, who finished 18th.

Santos knew if they won on the final day they would be safe and they did just that, defeating Cruzeiro 3-0 with Thaciano scoring two Joao Schmidt scoring the other.

Neymar was excellent in the game and continued his superb recent form as he headed into the final day having scored five in his previous three games. On this occasion, he was the orchestrator.

Following the game, he cast doubt on his Santos future, telling reporters:

DE NOVO ELE!

Neymar e Igor Vinicius tabelam, e lateral cruza na área para Thaciano fazer o segundo do Santos contra o Cruzeiro, na Vila Belmiro!@voude99 #Pede99Food #Publi

▶️ Assista a Santos x Cruzeiro, pelo Brasileirão, AO VIVO, DE GRAÇA E COM IMAGENS na GE TV!… pic.twitter.com/d39kQNdJxq

— ge (@geglobo) December 7, 2025

"I came for this, to try to help the best way I can. These have been tough weeks for me. I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have played these matches because of these injuries, this knee problem. I need to rest and then we will have this knee surgery.

“I do not know, really. I don’t know. I need some days now, I need to rest, disconnect then decide my future. For sure my priority always goes to Santos.”

Neymar has struggled with knee issues over the last couple of years and hasn't actually played for Brazil since October of 2023 when he suffered a serious knee injury.

It is likely he will need to go under the knife again for the current knee issue that has plagued his season with Santos, while he has also suffered from a recurring hamstring problem.

Only a few weeks ago, he was criticised for his demeanour on the pitch as he could be seen continually chastising his team-mates. But, when relegation emerged as a real possibility in the final few matches, he stepped up to help Santos survive.

Will Neymar play for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup?

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti previously warned that he will only take players to the World Cup who are at 100% fitness.

He specifically name checked superstars Neymar and Vinicius Junior, both of whom have suffered from form and injury issues in 2025.

"There are many players who are very good, I need to choose players that are 100%," Ancelotti said at the World Cup draw.

"It's not just Neymar, it could be [Real Madrid forward] Vinicius. If Vinicius is at 90%, I'll call up another player who is at 100%, because it's a team that has a very high level of competence, especially up front. Up front, we have really many good players."

Ancelotti is asked about Neymar at every single press conference and questions came again as the player scored a hat-trick in his last match for Santos.

It seems the Italian is beginning to get frustrated by the constant questions as he says he doesn't "owe" anyone automatic selection for the squad next summer.

"If we talk about Neymar, we have to talk about other players," the legendary boss insisted.

"We have to think about Brazil, which can be with Neymar or without Neymar, with other players or without other players. The definitive list we will make after the FIFA date in March. I understand very well that they are very interested in Neymar, I want to clarify that we are in December, the World Cup is in June, I will choose the team that will go to the World Cup in May.

"If Neymar deserves to be, if he is well, better than someone else, he will play in the World Cup and period. I don't owe anyone a debt."

Brazil were put into a group alongside Scotland, Morocco and Haiti.

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