Neymar’s ex-Santos mate backs star for Copa do Brasil: “He’s special”

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Gazeta Esportiva.com

·6 March 2026

Neymar’s ex-Santos mate backs star for Copa do Brasil: “He’s special”

Former teammate of Neymar at Santos, Diogo is rooting for the star's call-up to the 2026 World Cup. The former player spoke about the possible participation of the Peixe's number 10 in the World Cup in an exclusive interview with Gazeta Esportiva.

Diogo believes that, being a "different" player, Neymar should be called up if he is physically well.

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“He needs to be healthy to play. Everyone knows Neymar's quality, he is a different player. If he is physically well, without injuries, I believe he should definitely go,” said the ex-athlete.

In Diogo's opinion, the serious injury suffered by Rodrygo opens up more space for Neymar's call-up. He sees the Real Madrid player as the "closest" to the star.

“If it were today, I would call up [Neymar], especially because of Rodrygo's injury. In terms of characteristics, Rodrygo is the closest to Neymar,” he stated.

Champion Tenure

Diogo's time at Santos was short but victorious. He played for Peixe in 2011 and won the Copa Libertadores title alongside Neymar.

Diogo, Neymar, and Zé Eduardo for Santos (Photo: Ricardo Saibun/Santos FC)

The former forward played three matches in that edition of the continental tournament. In total, he played 20 games for Peixe, scoring one goal.

He also wore the colors of Flamengo, Palmeiras, Portuguesa, Olympiacos-GRE, Buriram United and BG Pathum United, both from Thailand, and Johor FC from Malaysia, hanging up his boots in 2023.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.