Neymar played the second half of the match against Fluminense and could return as a starter for Santos in the match against Atlético.
Santos is preparing to face Atlético this Wednesday (4/16) at Vila Belmiro, and should have Neymar as a starter again. The number 10 was away from the team for almost a month due to physical problems. Neymar returned to the field against Fluminense at Maracanã this Sunday (4/13), in the third round of the Brazilian Championship. He started as a substitute and came on at half-time, to boos from the fans of the tricolor from Rio. Although the schedule predicted that he would play for 20 minutes, he played for the entire second half.
The play by the number 10 in the match that caused the most repercussion was a clash with full-back Samuel Xavier. The Santos player received a yellow card for hitting his opponent in the face. Irritated by Samuel’s reaction to the foul, Neymar finally got his satisfaction and pointed his finger at the player from the Rio de Janeiro tricolor.
After the game, he commented on the team’s situation in the National Championship – they are in 18th place, in the relegation zone – and asked for the fans’ support. “In this situation, without our fans, it will be even harder. We know the situation we are in, it all depends on us. We have a good team, very high-quality players. We just need to fit in and have more personality to call the game and show who Santos really is”, he commented. The forward says he is ready for a new series of matches wearing the black and white shirt from the beach.
“I am obviously happy to be back playing. What I love to do is play football”, he highlighted. He also commented on how he felt after playing for 53 minutes against Fluminense: “I want to play, since I came back here, I have been 100% available, but obviously the coach and medical staff. I am in good shape, I felt good, I moved well”.
