Reports of Neymar’s demise are greatly exaggerated: Brazilian could still achieve fairytale swansong | OneFootball

The Neymar redemption arc took a dramatic twist this weekend when he made vital contributions for his boyhood club Santos and their battle against the drop.

After leaving Saudi Arabia earlier this year, Neymar’s road to recovery hasn’t been plain sailing.

Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer had hoped to put his injury woes behind him after making a romantic return to the club where he made his name, but further setbacks have threatened to put a sad and premature end to his glittering career.

Reports from Brazil even suggested that Neymar had been advised not to play again in 2025, as aggravating a problem with his meniscus threatened to leave him sidelined for a considerable period, all but ending his hopes of making the Selecao squad next summer.

The fairytale story is that Neymar has defied doctors’ orders to save his beloved Santos as the fight to retain their top-flight status, heroically putting his body on the line for the cause.

But according to Neymar himself, that’s not the whole truth. He’s played down the injury risk and insisted he had the green light to play.

“To be honest, not everything is fine with my knee, but the only people who should know about the injury are the doctors, me, and my team,” Neymar said after starring in their latest big win.

“We would never jeopardise my career. People invent many things that make me very sad and upset.

“We make these decisions internally. Contrary to what was reported, I did not go against medical advice. It was a collaborative decision, and ultimately, it was up to me. Today, I chose to be on the field.”

Neymar scored the early opener and assisted another as Santos beat bottom-placed Sport Club do Recife 3-0.

The vital three points have clawed them out of the relegation zone, for now, although two of the sides within touching distance have games in hand.

They’ll surely require more points in their final two matches against Juventude and Cruzeiro if they’re to stay out of the drop zone.

The 33-year-old’s contribution are his first since returning from injury and the first tiny inkling that he might get the fairytale ending that he’s so desperately hoping for.

He’s yet to be called up by Carlo Ancelotti, with injury and fitness ruling him out of all four international windows the Italian coach has been at the helm for.

There’s only the March window to go before Ancelotti finalises his World Cup squad next summer, but the Brazil boss has kept the door open.

“We are not going to observe how Neymar plays, obviously. Everyone knows his talent,” Ancelotti told ESPN Brasil back in September.

“In modern football, to take advantage of his talent, the player has to be in good physical condition. If he is in his best physical condition, he will have no problems being in the national team.

“Everyone wants Neymar in the national team in good physical condition. I spoke with him, and I said ‘you have time to prepare in the best way to be there and help the team try to do their best in the World Cup.’

“I spoke with him. He came to the hotel before the game against Paraguay [in June] and we talked about it. Everything is clear, the idea remains the same.

“[I would select him] as an attacking midfielder or striker, he has to play centrally, he can’t play on the outside because modern football needs forwards who have physical quality, it’s very important. He can play as an attacking midfielder without problems.”

Brazil captain Marquinhos, meanwhile, stated that he’d “always” welcome Neymar back into the Brazil fold:

“It depends on how he is, if he’s doing well, if he’s in shape, if physically he’s found his rhythm again. I hope he gets back to his best.”

Watch this space for what happens next. It’s been a rocky 2025, to say the least, but it can still end on a positive note. And who’s to say he can’t kick on from there?