Neymar's father reveals his son nearly quit football amid injury struggles at Santos

The Brazilian’s career has been marred by constant injuries.

Neymar’s widely reported injury issues caused the legendary Brazilian player to think about retiring. The father of the former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player revealed this much.

Neymar’s contract with Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal was terminated due to knee ligament injuries. Furthermore, he has since experienced more fitness problems at Santos.

Neymar, 33, began to wonder if it was worth subjecting his body and psyche to such suffering as he seemed unable to stay away from the treatment table for extended periods of time.

But in an effort to keep Santos out of relegation in 2025, he had to play despite agony. With 79 international goals under his belt, Brazil‘s all-time top scorer is also holding onto the hope of playing for his national team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

He has had more surgery on a troublesome knee. A rehabilitation program is being developed, and any preparations to hang up boots have been postponed for the time being.

Did Neymar consider retiring from football?

The South American superstar’s father spoke to the Rafa Tecla YouTube channel regarding the news leak about Neymar’s most recent procedure, which revealed to the world that he was going to quit playing football:

“You only put him in when you truly have peace of mind. Just like now. He had a meniscus injury. The press leaked it before we even talked to him, and his head just went to zero.

“For a moment, I couldn’t save my son’s mental state. It hits him hard — people saying Neymar won’t play again this year. His mind just collapses.

He added how he managed to get his son out of the decision to quit:

“When I get home, I go to my son’s place and ask: ‘Son, what’s up? How are you?’ He looks at me and says: ‘I can’t take it anymore, man. Let’s do the surgery. Dad… I don’t even know if it’s worth operating. For me, that’s it’.

“When he said that, I answered: ‘That’s it? Then why operate? Just do the surgery and we stop, and next year we’ll think about what to do’. Then I told him: ‘Son, if you want to have the surgery so we can focus on your recovery and you can be well, I’m with you’.”

Neymar is reportedly prepared to extend his contract with Santos for an additional season. The player hopes to play in the 2026 World Cup.

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