Neymar missed Santos’ training session on Sunday morning without prior explanation, before the club later announced that he was suffering from a “viral illness,” according to ESPN Brazil.
Neymar did not travel to Salvador for Santos’ Brazilian league match against Bahia, with the club citing a recent heavy workload and the desire to focus on the crucial Copa Sudamericana match against San Lorenzo on Tuesday.
As a result, Neymar was scheduled to train with the players who did not travel to northeastern Brazil, but his absence from that training session—which initially remained unexplained—quickly attracted attention.
Santos FC attempted to clarify the situation in an official statement, though it did little to quell the speculation. The statement read: “Athlete Neymar Jr. suffered a viral illness on Saturday night. He received treatment and responded well, and remains under the care of the Santos FC medical department.”
The club confirmed that Neymar will be part of the squad traveling to Argentina to face San Lorenzo. He will join teammates Gabriel Brazão, Igor Vinicius, Willian Arão, and Gabriel Barbosa on Monday in Buenos Aires.
Neymar is fighting to convince Carlo Ancelotti that he deserves a place in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad, but given his recurring injuries, his task seems increasingly difficult.
