MONDAY, MAY 05, 2025
Santos seeking to keep Neymar until 2026 World Cup
Published on May 3, 2025
By IANS
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- RIO DE JANEIRO — Santos president Marcelo Teixeira said the club is working to extend Neymar's contract until next year's FIFA World Cup, despite the forward's ongoing injury concerns.
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- Neymar rejoined Santos - his boyhood club - on a six-month contract in January after more than a decade in Europe and a stint in Saudi Arabia, reports Xinhua.
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- "We have to explore a technical way so that we can transform the monitoring of Neymar's recovery and his presence on the field into a greater chance of him being able to renew his contract and stay until next year's World Cup," Teixeira said.
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- Neymar has struggled with a series of leg muscle problems since returning to action last October following a knee injury that sidelined him for more than a year. The 33-year-old has played just nine games in his latest spell with Santos, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
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- "When we brought Neymar back, we knew that he had suffered a very serious injury," Teixeira said. "Knowing this, we made all of our staff available to Neymar and put a structure in place so that he could make a full recovery. He is happy here. This is his home."
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- Santos is currently 19th in the 20-team Brazilian Serie A standings with four points from six games. The club this week appointed former Brazil assistant coach Cleber Xavier as its new manager following the departure of Pedro Caixinha.
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- In his first press conference, Xavier said Neymar was unlikely to return to the left wing, the position in which he rose to prominence at Barcelona.
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- "He played on that side (the left) at Barcelona and with the national team but now he is more suited to an attacking midfielder role," Xavier said.
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- "Tite (former Brazil boss Adenor Bacchi) called him a bow and an arrow at the same time because he organises and also finishes the attacking moves. He has played like that for a long time and I see him doing that here too."
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