First start as a starter: Neymar leaves in tears due to injury!

The injury to Brazilian star Neymar da Silva overshadowed all the positives of his team Santos' victory over Atlético Mineiro (2-0) during the 4th round of the Brazilian championship.

A special celebration for his 100th match at Vila Belmiro

Moments before kickoff, the Seleção star donned a special jersey with the number 100 to celebrate his 100th match at the Vila Belmiro stadium, the iconic home of his youth club.

Prior to this match, Neymar had played 99 games on this pitch, winning 61 of them and scoring 64 goals, spread across his two tenures with Santos.

Neymar leaves the field in tears after 33 minutes

But the celebration was short-lived. Starting for the first time since his return, Neymar was forced to leave the Vila Belmiro pitch in tears in the 33rd minute after injuring his left thigh.

It's the same injury he had previously suffered, precisely on March 2, during the quarter-final of the São Paulo State Championship against Bragantino.

The former Al Hilal player received treatment on the field before being briefly allowed to resume play. However, he lasted no more than ten minutes and was eventually replaced by Argentine Benjamin Rollheiser.

Santos club reacted to this injury via their official page on platform X, stating:
"Number 10 left due to pain in the left thigh. He received encouragement from the Vila Belmiro supporters. Stay strong, our prince."

To recall, Neymar, aged 33, had terminated his contract with Al Hilal about seven months before its end due to a series of recurring knee and thigh muscle injuries. He then made a heartfelt decision to return to his lifelong club, Santos.

Also read: Exclusive interview: Adailton talks about Neymar's return to Santos!

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.