Santos starlet Robinho Júnior loses ground in early 2026 matches | OneFootball

Considered the main prospect of Santos, the young Robinho Júnior did not start 2026 well. The gem of Peixe, who ended the 2025 season on a high and with the tendency to become a starter during the Paulistão, was on the field for only 68 minutes in the first three matches of the Alvinegro Praiano this year.

In the Paulistão debut, against Novorizontino, Robinho started the game as a starter but was substituted at halftime, accumulating 45 minutes on the field. In the second round, against Palmeiras, the 18-year-old entered at the 37th minute of the second half and played for another eight minutes. Finally, this Sunday against Guarani, he came off the bench again and played for just 15 minutes.

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Robinho Júnior, in action against Guarani – Photo: Raul Baretta/ Santos FC.

High Competition

Robinho's low playing time at the start of 2026 may be caused by the high competition in Santos' offensive sector. Barreal debuted in the second round and has performed well in the Paulistão so far, having scored against Guarani on Sunday.

Besides him, Miguelito returned from a loan at América-MG and is getting opportunities from Vojvoda. The Bolivian entered at the 17th minute of the second half against Palmeiras and at the end of the game against Guarani.

Finally, Thaciano and Rollheiser have appeared more at the start of this season. The Brazilian, who was heavily criticized in 2025, scored the winning goal against Novorizontino and has been getting more minutes. The Argentine, on the other hand, seems to please Vojvoda, who has been starting him more often.

In 2025, Robinho played 15 times for the professional team, with one assist made but no goals scored. Santos returns to the field this Thursday for the classic against Corinthians, at 7:30 PM (Brasília time), at Vila Belmiro, for the Paulistão.

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