Neymar once again found himself in the spotlight over the weekend after being sent off in bizarre fashion—possibly in his final appearance for Santos. The incident drew national attention and, after the match, the Brazilian star broke his silence to address what happened.
The focus was on Neymar’s return to Santos’ starting lineup for the first time since mid-April, having recently recovered from an injury that sidelined him for over a month. With the club fighting to escape the relegation zone, Santos hoped for a key home win over Botafogo—until a chaotic moment changed everything.
Already booked late in the first half, Neymar was shown a second yellow in the 76th minute after deliberately handling the ball in an attempt to knock in a rebound. The goal was ruled out, and referee Davi de Oliveira promptly gave him his marching orders, reducing Santos to ten men at a critical moment.
Neymar apologizes to Santos
After the match, Neymar took to Instagram to issue a heartfelt apology to both his teammates and the fans: “The desperation to score sometimes makes us commit mistakes… I want to apologize to my teammates and also to the fans. I was wrong, forgive me!”
The Brazilian forward also expressed regret for letting his team down, especially after Botafogo scored the match-winner in the 86th minute. “Today, if I hadn’t been sent off, I’m sure we would have gotten the three points. The team played really well today—congrats to everyone. You can put those three points on me!” he wrote.
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Neymar also shared his frustration with the officiating, posting a second Instagram story criticizing the referee: “P.S.: The second yellow was fair, but the first one… the referee was messing around. I committed one foul and already got booked… What a terrible referee, seriously… Just my opinion… please don’t punish me any further.”
Was this Neymar’s last game for Santos?
The red card comes at a potentially pivotal moment in Neymar’s second spell at Santos. With the team still in the relegation battle (18th with 8 points in 11 games), the Botafogo match could end up being his last for the club.
Neymar’s current deal with Santos expires on June 30. He’ll miss the next match against Fortaleza on June 12, and the Brasileirão will pause for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup shortly after. Though his contract includes an option to extend through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, that outcome now seems unlikely.
Speaking after Wednesday’s friendly against Red Bull Leipzig, Neymar’s father and agent commented on his son’s situation: “Neymar returned to Santos to recover from a serious injury and has yet to reach an agreement to renew his contract. Neymar’s plan was to stay at Santos for five months to recover. If he could play, amen.” Those comments only fuel speculation that Neymar’s red card may have marked his final appearance for the club where his career began.
