New Delhi: It was not the farewell Neymar had thought of when he joined his former club Santos in January after a spell in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal. The Brazilian star, who many believe has failed to live up to his immense potential due to injuries and inconsistent form, grew up idolising Maradona. But the former Barcelona and PSG forward’s effort to emulate the Argentine backfired in a Brazilian league game.
Neymar was sent off for emulating the infamous “Hand of God” goal scored by Maradona in the Argentina v England quarter-finals match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Despite the illegal nature of the goal under association football rules, because Maradona used his hand to score, the referees awarded the goal to the South Americans as they did not have a clear view of the play. Argentina took a 1-0 lead following the controversial goal and eventually went on to win 2-1.
While Maradona’s illegal goal was allowed to stand, Neymar was not so fortunate. With 15 minutes remaining, the match between Santos and Botafogo was heading towards a goalless draw when Neymar launched himself at a rebound in the box and put the ball into the net with his hand.
The opposition players surrounded Neymar, and the referee was quick to flash a second yellow card at the forward, bringing a premature end to the first start for the club since returning from injury last month.
🚨 NEYMAR RED CARD 🤯🟥 pic.twitter.com/bWncUO67R8
— KinG £ (@xKGx__) June 1, 2025
Neymar apologises to Santos’ fans
Things went from bad to worse for Santos and Neymar when Botafogo scored in the dying stages to claim a thrilling 1-0 victory.
The 33-year-old footballer later apologised to his team and fans with a social media post.
“I made a mistake, forgive me!” he posted on social media.
“Today, if I hadn’t been sent off, I’m sure we would have gotten the three points. You can count these three points against me!”
After his return from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, Neymar signed a short-term contract with Santos, which runs until June 30.
He won’t be available for Santos’s match against Fortaleza on Thursday due to the red card offence and can only play for the club again if he extends his contract before the league restarts in July following the Club World Cup.
Former Barcelona and PSG forward Neymar was sent off for scoring the infamous “Hand of God” goal in a Brazilian league match between Santos and Botafogo. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
