Gil lifts lid on Santos exit and hails Neymar: "He changed everything" | OneFootball

Gil did not leave Santos the way he would have liked. The former defender revealed, on Tuesday, behind the scenes of his last weeks at Peixe. He left upset with the coaching staff of Cleber Xavier.

"It was messed up. I'm 38 years old, I can't go through certain things anymore. Not that I deserve to play, I always said that I just wanted to help Santos. I always made that clear. But in the last week, I thought I was getting in the way. I was three months without playing. Then I played against Juventude and Cruzeiro - and I found out I was going to play against Cruzeiro, with Mineirão packed, at 4:30 pm (the game was at 6:30 pm). After, I thought I was going to play against Vasco, but I didn't. Then I was outraged," he told Podpah.

Gil's termination with Santos was registered on September 3. The 6-0 defeat to Vasco, mentioned by the former player, was on August 17.

Gil arrived at Peixe in early 2024 and was a key piece throughout the Serie B of the Brazilian Championship. The title, in fact, made the athlete postpone his retirement and renew with the club.

The change in the Santos coaching staff, however, caused a change in the scenario for Gil at Santos. The number 4 was left out of the plans of coach Pedro Caixinha. At the beginning of Paulista, however, the Portuguese decided to give a chance to the defender, who responded and established himself in the starting lineup.

"Caixinha was a man with me. He said he wasn't going to use me. I was angry, obviously, but he said it. I asked if I was going to get in the way in training, I wanted to train. He said I could train, but he wasn't going to use me. It's hard. I trained, without opening my mouth. Four games passed and he put me in the game. I was even the captain. It was natural. He talked to me," the former defender reported.

With Cleber Xavier, however, Gil again lost space and played only two matches in a three-month interval. The coach was fired after the 6-0 defeat to Vasco, but the experienced defender decided to sign the termination anyway.

Neymar's Help

Gil also talked about the change of scenario since Neymar arrived at Santos. The former defender heaped praise on the attacking midfielder.

"He has improved many things. Everything. Environment, everything. He is always cheerful. He is very nice, not arrogant. The first time I went to the National Team, he hugged me. When he arrived at Santos, everything changed. He hosts barbecues and invites the guys to interact. He jokes with one or another. He sent me a message when I had a family problem. You see the CT now... There's no way, it's Neymar," he said.

The former player, moreover, also made clear his support for the star to be called up by Carlo Ancelotti to represent the Brazilian National Team in the 2026 World Cup.

"Neymar has to be on the National Team. Regardless of anything. It's Neymar. He is different. He has (the desire to be in the Cup). There's a crowd behind him that helps him a lot," he concluded.

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