Santos Finally Freed From Relegation, Neymar's Efforts To Force Him To Play While Injury With Sweet Fruits

Neymar was finally able to help Santos get out of the Brazilian Serie A relegation zone (Instagram/@santosfc).

JAKARTA - Santos and Neymar secured their positions in the Brazilian Serie A on Monday, December 8, 2025, early morning WIB, with a 3-0 victory over Cruzeiro.

Neymar's efforts, who insisted on playing in the last few games in a row despite the injury, bore fruit. He saved the team that had raised his name from the brink of relegation.

Over the past few matches, Neymar is known to have insisted on asking for an injection of pain when he was actually not allowed to compete.

However, now the 33-year-old soccer star has confirmed that he will undergo surgery on his left knee once his goal for Santos is achieved.

However, he did not provide further details about his knee injury and surgery. He said he still hopes to be included in Brazil's final squad for the 2026 World Cup even though coach Carlo Ancelotti has not voted for the former captain since he took over in May 2025.

The Italian coach said Neymar would be put in if he fit.

"I came for this, to try to help my best. These weeks have been tough for me."

"I thank those who have been with me and cheered me on. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have played in these matches because of this injury, this knee problem."

"I need to rest and after that we will undergo this knee surgery," Neymar said after the match.

Playing his last league game of the season, Santos, who won global support thanks to legend of all time, Pele, has avoided a second relegation in club history. Santos relegated in 2023 for the first time, nearly a year after Pele's death.

Meanwhile, initially Neymar had difficulty recovering from a torn ACL injury in October 2023 - which he experienced during the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers against Uruguay.

However, he proved to be the key for Santos in his successful struggle to avoid relegation in Brazil's Serie A after last season's promotions.

Neymar, who returned to Santos in January 2025, became a decisive figure for the club where he started his professional career.

In the last three league rounds, Neymar scored one goal against Sport Recife in a 3-0 win, scoring a hat trick against Juventude in the middle of last week in another 3-0 win, and becoming an effective playmaker in the league's final match against Cruzeiro.

Thaciano (26th and 28th minutes) and Joao Schmidt (60th minute) scored against Cruzeiro at the Villa Belmiro Stadium when Santos finished 12th in Brazil's Serie A final standings with 47 points.

Neymar has only played 19 times from 38 league rounds, which started in April 2025 and he scored eight goals.

Apart from that, Flamengo won his ninth Brazilian Serie A title in the middle of the week after a 1-0 home win over Ceara. The Rio de Janeiro club also won the Copa Libertadores last month.