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Brazilian superstar Neymar (33, Santos) was injured 24 hours before his sister's birthday, adding fuel to the biggest conspiracy theory in football.
Neymar sat on the bench for the entire 90 minutes of the Campeonatu Paulista match (1-2 loss) against Corinthians at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on the 9th (local time).
Neymar, who started against Red Bull Bragantino on the 3rd and was replaced in the 31st minute of the second half, said, `I wanted to help my team members on the field today. However, I felt uncomfortable last Thursday, and because of that, I couldn't play today. I felt uncomfortable again at the examination this morning."
Neymar, who missed nearly a year due to a cruciate ligament injury in his former team Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), moved to his former team Santos last month and played in seven consecutive games, succeeding in 'Resurrection'. He also re-elected to the Brazilian national soccer team ahead of the A-match in March.
However, the timing of the injury is coincidental. March 11 is Neymar's particularly cherished sister's birthday. Neymar has a 'habit' of being sidelined by injury or suspension around his sister's birthday.
Neymar missed his sister's birthday week for the fifth consecutive season from the 2014-2015 season to the 2019-2020 season. Neymar, who played in the European Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund in March 2020 when he was a member of Paris Saint-Germain, was able to fly to Brazil in 2021 and 2023 after suffering muscle and ankle injuries, respectively, to celebrate his sister's birthday. He played in league games in 2022.
Neymar, who had three goals and three assists in seven games, was injured again on his younger sister's birthday. Neymar had her sister Raphael tattooed on her right arm, and her sister also had Neymar on her left arm.
Neymar's sister's birthday is already famous in the soccer world. Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos said when rumors of Neymar's move to Real sparked:"I like to play with the best players. Neymar is one of them. "What we need to negotiate is his sister's birthday" he jokingly said.
There is also a circulation that he skipped his team's game to prepare for the Brazil national team's game. In response, Santos coach Pedro Caixingha said "The only thing we considered is that the player feels uncomfortable with his body. Our club denied that it would put any players in danger.
"Inconvenience is different from injury," he said, predicting that he will be able to return soon.
Brazil will play Colombia on the 21st and Argentina on the 26th in the South American qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. Neymar, who returned to the national team for the first time in a year and five months, is aiming for his 80th A-match goal. Currently, he has scored the most 79 goals in 128 A matches, surpassing Pele (77 goals) who is the 'King of Football', which is the second-largest in Brazil's history.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
