“Robinho”, a step too far: Everton Santos lifts lid on PSG

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·6 February 2026

“Robinho”, a step too far: Everton Santos lifts lid on PSG

In Le Parisien, Everton Santos, former Brazilian striker who had a brief stint at Paris Saint-Germain, reflected on the label that still sticks to him: his famous comparison with Robinho. Now 39, he insists he was mostly misunderstood, and points to a collective frenzy that remained frozen, far from a much simpler truth.

Santos: “It was a huge mistake”

“It was a huge mistake. (…) I just wanted to say that I was a light, quick player, with similar characteristics in terms of style, not in terms of level, because Robinho was already a phenomenon. But it was blown out of proportion, it became something negative, and I paid the price for it,” he said, before adding that the Parisian players didn’t necessarily help him either. “At the time, I had little experience and didn’t speak the language. (…) Today, with hindsight, I can say it: there were suspicious players who didn’t bother to help. I felt like I was arriving to ‘take someone’s place,’ and that created a certain atmosphere.”

Santos: “I think I didn’t even get a first chance”

I have my share of responsibility: I could have acted differently, brought my family, been more assertive, shown more courage. But my lack of experience weighed heavily. I was a 21-year-old kid who didn’t feel welcome. I overheard conversations, I saw looks. It affected me. (…) I think I didn’t even get a first chance. (…) But a club that recruits a 21-year-old player should be more careful. Part of my failure is also attributable to the club and those who worked there. There was a lack of tact, empathy, and support. And it continues to happen. You see cases like Gabriel Moscardo at PSG, Vitor Roque at Barcelona, Endrick at Real Madrid…”

His story sums up something very PSG: every word weighs a ton, and sometimes more than the player himself. Everton Santos explains that he wasn’t talking about “Robinho’s level,” but “Robinho’s style”—light, quick, playing characteristics, not a superstar status. The problem: the phrase was amplified, became a permanent trial, to the point of defining his entire time at the club before he even really had a chance to settle in.

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And when a narrative takes control, it becomes stronger than the facts: the public judges, the media repeats, the label sticks. The cruelest part of his confession is the idea of a collective frenzy… then a collective block, as if the truth no longer had the right to enter the discussion.

The testimony also serves as a warning: at PSG, a young player can very quickly get trapped in a story (a word, a gesture, a match). And once the narrative is launched, it’s no longer football, it’s mythology—except mythology doesn’t give out favors.

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