Neymar da Silva Santos Sr. revealed his son, Neymar, considered retiring due to injury woes. Neymar has struggled to find a place in the national team as he has not been at the top of his fitness in the last two years.
The former PSG and Barcelona striker has not played for Brazil since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury while on international duty in October 2023.
Neymar then had a minor surgery on his left knee on December 22. During a YouTube interview with Rafa Tecla T – Experiências reais, Neymar Sr. revealed the conversation he had with his son before he underwent the knife.
He said: “He got a meniscus injury, the press leaks it before we talk to him, and his head goes blank. It’s so much to take in … I go to my son’s house. ‘So, how are you?’
“He turns to me and says, ‘I can’t take it anymore. Let’s operate. Dad … I don’t even know if it’s worth operating. As for me, I’ve had enough.’”
Neymar Sr. revealed the motivating message he shared with his son.
“I said, ‘Son, if you want to have surgery so we can focus on your recovery and you get well, I’m with you’”, Neymar Sr. said.
“The next morning he started training, kicking left, right … Then he looked, shook his head, ‘I think I can do it’. He went to the game and scored the goal.
“When he scored, he looked at me and said that he was going to the end.”
Neymar is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances and has played in three World Cups. The striker is currently playing for his boyhood club Santos.
