Sports
Injured Neymar Emotional As Boyhood Club Santos Stun Cruizero 3–0, Escape Relegation
Santos completed one of the most dramatic survival missions in recent Brazilian football history, defeating third-placed Cruzeiro 3–0 on the final day of the season to secure their place in Serie A on Sunday night.
At the center of the escape was Neymar — emotional, visibly in pain, yet decisive when Santos needed him most.
The 33-year-old forward, who returned to the club in January, has endured a difficult year recovering from a serious knee injury, but his influence in the closing rounds proved crucial.
He delivered a series of standout performances: scoring in a 3–0 win over Sport Recife, firing a hat-trick against Juventude in another 3–0 result, and acting as the creative heartbeat in the decisive victory over Cruzeiro at Vila Belmiro.
Those wins lifted Santos to 12th place with 47 points, rescuing a season that had once threatened to end in what would have been only the second relegation in the club’s storied history.
PUNCH Online reports that in Sunday’s game, Thaciano netted twice in two minutes for the home team, in the 26th and 28th minute, before J. Schmidt sealed it on the one-hour dot in the second half of the game.
Their first drop came in 2023, breaking a 111-year record of uninterrupted participation in the topflight.
The relief was clear across the stadium — and especially in Neymar’s reaction.
After the final whistle, he dropped to his knees in the centre circle, overcome with emotion.
Despite weeks of pain from a meniscus and knee problem, he had insisted on playing through the final stretch. Fans witnessed him later circling the ground, applauding the supporters who stood by the team during its tense battle for safety.
Santos’s late surge capped a season in which Neymar featured in only 19 league matches but still produced eight goals and several decisive contributions.
His insistence on playing through discomfort was confirmed afterward, when he publicly acknowledged the physical toll.
Tribuna on Monday quoted Neymar as saying, “I came for this, to try to help the best way I can. These have been tough weeks for me.
“I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have played these matches because of these injuries, this knee problem. I need to rest, and then we will have this knee surgery.”
He did not disclose medical details or a surgery date, though he remains hopeful of earning a place in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad.
The club’s captain on his official X account sharing images and a small caption, wrote in Portuguese, “Deus, OBRIGADO!
” which is English means, “God, Thank You.”
Coach Carlo Ancelotti has yet to select him since taking charge in May, but the forward’s club form in the final run-in has revived national interest.
Sports Star on Monday also noted that Santos fans will remember this escape as one of the club’s great modern survival stories — and as a chapter where their most famous academy product once again carried the badge with pride, even while injured.
Sunday’s victory not only sealed safety but also reaffirmed Neymar’s enduring bond with the club that shaped him.
PUNCH Online reports that in 2013, Neymar departed Santos for Europe, signing a record-breaking deal with Spanish powerhouse Barcelona. He later continued his journey at Paris Saint-Germain in France, and eventually secured a move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.
In January 2025, Brazilian star Neymar on Monday ended his injury-plagued 18 month stay in Saudi Arabia as his club, Al-Hilal said they had “agreed to terminate the player’s contract by mutual consent.”
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle might get a new option to pick from, as a player with dual nationality is set to switch allegiances to Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.
This comes as former Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu has taken his first few steps to switch allegiances from France to Nigeria.
The 22-year-old midfielder was born in France to Nigerian parents, and he represented France at youth level.
However, he is 22 now and cannot play youth-level football anymore. He is due for the senior team, but he has yet to receive an official call-up to the senior Les Bleus team. But according to FIFA rules, a player can still switch allegiances to Nigeria. As a result, the Super Eagles door is still open.
It appears that the former Chelsea man is willing to try that route. In the summer, he was in Nigeria and was even spotted playing football with Super Eagles star Kelechi Iheanacho in Owerri.
Now, reports have emerged that he has started the process of acquiring his Nigerian passport which will make him a bonafide Nigerian.
Once Ugochukwu gets his Nigerian passport, the next thing for him will be to switch his nationality with world football governing body FIFA so he can start playing for the Super Eagles.
A player of Ugochukwu’s profile would be a good fit for Eric Chelle’s system and he can give Nigeria a few good years.
The 22-year-old is originally a defensive midfielder, but he is more of a box-to-box player. He is physically strong, has composure on the ball, and is a decent carrier. The Rennes academy product also has the work rate which is needed to thrive in Chelle’s system.
His switch to the Super Eagles would provide healthy competition and depth in Nigeria’s midfield, and he can also chip in with the odd goal.
Ugochukwu just completed a loan move from Burnley to Galatasaray, and he will be looking to produce top performances for his new employers.
The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has intensified following Spain’s FIFA World Cup triumph, with England captain Harry Kane emerging as the bookmakers’ favourite to win football’s most prestigious individual award.
According to odds published by the Independent UK, citing Betfair, on Tuesday, Kane leads the contenders ahead of Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Kane strengthened his credentials after finishing the World Cup with six goals and becoming England’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.
The performance added to his already staggering 2025–2026 campaign, where he scored 72 goals and provided 7 assists in 61 appearances for Bayern Munich and England. Kane won three trophies with Bayern Munich, finished third at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and claimed the European Golden Shoe.
Spain’s World Cup-winning duo of Yamal and Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, also rank among the leading contenders after helping their country lift the trophy. Messi remains firmly in the race after leading the Albiceleste to a second consecutive World Cup final, despite missing out on FIFA’s Golden Ball award to Rodri.
Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023, partly thanks to Argentina winning 2022 FIFA World Cup
At 39, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner recorded 8 goals and 4 assists before also missing out on the Golden Boot to France star Kylian Mbappe by two goals.
Mbappé once again proved his elite status. In a prolific 2025–2026 campaign for Real Madrid, he became La Liga and Champions League top scorer.
He is also the 2026 World Cup top scorer and became the all-time leading scorer with 22 goals.
Manchester City and Norway striker, Erling Haaland, also enjoyed another prolific season, scoring 27 Premier League goals and eight in the UEFA Champions League.
He carried that form into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring seven goals in five games to inspire Norway to a historic first-ever quarter-final appearance.
Erling Haaland #9 of Norway celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between Iraq and Norway at Boston Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
France’s Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise and England midfielder Jude Bellingham are also among the favourites.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26.
Top 16 Ballon d’Or favourites (Betfair odds):
Harry Kane – 13/8
Lamine Yamal – 9/4
Lionel Messi – 11/4
Kylian Mbappe – 7/2
Rodri – 9/2
Ousmane Dembele – 14/1
Jude Bellingham – 14/1
Michael Olise – 20/1
Erling Haaland – 22/1
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 28/1
Declan Rice – 28/1
Vitinha – 28/1
Fabian Ruiz – 33/1
Vinicius Jr. – 40/1
Bruno Fernandes – 50/1
Desire Doue – 50/1
Chelsea are on the brink of completing a British record deal for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers after the England international arrived for a medical earlier today, July 20, ahead of his proposed £117 million switch to Stamford Bridge.
According to Sky Sports, Morgan Rogers is expected to sign a six-year contract, with Chelsea holding the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months until 2033, provided he comes through his medical.
The 23-year-old returned from the United States on Sunday after helping England secure third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is now set to finalise his move in the coming days.
Chelsea acted decisively to beat Arsenal to Rogers’ signature after the Gunners refused to match Villa’s asking price, despite identifying him as their leading attacking target. The agreed fee will set a new British transfer record.
Rogers’ departure marks another major change in Aston Villa’s midfield, with the club already moving to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad.
Villa have confirmed the signing of Brazil international Joao Gomes from Wolves in a deal worth up to £38 million. The agreement includes an initial £34 million payment, with a further £4 million in performance-related add-ons.
The 25-year-old had also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid but left Wolves’ pre-season training camp in Portugal last week to complete his medical before sealing the move to Villa Park.
Gomes becomes Villa’s second high-profile midfield signing in quick succession after the club completed a deal worth more than £50 million for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi on Friday, beating Newcastle United to the Switzerland international.
Villa’s transfer activity follows a difficult spell in midfield. Amadou Onana has been ruled out until next year after sustaining a serious knee injury while on World Cup duty with Belgium. The club have also sold Youri Tielemans to Manchester United for £35 million.
Gomes leaves Wolves after making 130 appearances and scoring seven goals since joining from Brazilian side Flamengo in 2023. He featured 41 times last season as Wolves endured a disappointing campaign that ended with relegation after finishing bottom of the Premier League.
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