On holiday from Santos, Neymar heads to Miami before surgery | OneFootball

Neymar is enjoying the first days of rest after being decisive in keeping Santos in Série A. The number 10 traveled to Miami, in the United States, where he is spending his vacation with family and friends before facing another important stage: surgery on the meniscus of his left knee.

The procedure will be performed by arthroscopy to correct a tear in the area—a problem that did not keep him out of the last games of the season but required special care. In the final rounds of the Brasileirão, Neymar played with three layers of protection on the spot and, even "making a sacrifice," scored four goals and led the charge that secured 12th place for Santos and a spot in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana.

The recovery period after the procedure is approximately one month, and there is some urgency to have him ready for the start of the next year. The last FIFA date before the final call-up for the 2026 World Cup is in March, and the forward's staff knows that the first months of 2026 will be crucial to convince Carlo Ancelotti to call him back to the national team.

Santos is also involved in this process. The management understands that renewing the contract—which ends in late December—is a natural step. Keeping the number 10 is treated as an absolute priority at the club. Both the director of football Alexandre Mattos and vice-president Fernando Bonavides have shown optimism in recent days, while Juan Pablo Vojvoda publicly reinforced the importance of the star for the sports project.

The team's reassembly is scheduled for January 2, and Neymar is expected to join the group still recovering from surgery. He will work to be cleared at the start of the season, when Santos will compete in the Paulistão, Copa do Brasil, Sul-Americana, and Campeonato Brasileiro, a scenario not seen since 2023.

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