Neymar missed his team Santos’ match against Corinthians in the semi-finals of the Paulista Championship of the state of Sao Paulo, due to injury.
Neymar had participated in this tournament since the first round, where he managed to score 3 goals and make the same number, but suddenly he was absent from the match against Corinthians.
Santos was defeated by its host by two goals to one and bid farewell to the competition that Neymar had previously won 3 times out of 5 participations.
According to the Brazilian media, Neymar suffered from a slight muscle discomfort and there was no actual injury, but the Brazilian team requested that he not participate until he is ready for the Selecao camp next week.
Santos coach, Pedro Caixina, defended Neymar from the criticism he received due to his absence from the match, when he confirmed that the player suffered from discomfort and the decision was made in the interest of Santos, not Brazil.
“We will do everything we can to ensure he does not get injured, he was not in a position to give his best,” the coach continued.
As for Neymar himself, he wrote on his Instagram account: “Last Thursday I felt discomfort, which made it impossible for me to participate in today’s match.”
He concluded: “We underwent medical tests, but unfortunately I felt discomfort again, this is part of football, we were unable to qualify today, but we will return stronger than before to continue fighting to achieve our goals.”
It is noteworthy that Barcelona stipulated that Neymar prove that his physical condition is good before the club considers bringing him back again, but it seems that this is currently out of reach for the 32-year-old.
