Neymar and the Retirement Question: How Exhausting Injuries at Santos Pushed a Legend to the Brink

For most footballers, retirement is a distant idea until the body finally refuses to cooperate. For Neymar, that moment came far earlier than anyone expected — not because the passion faded, but because the injuries would not stop. According to his father, the Brazilian icon seriously considered walking away from the game during what he described as an “exhausting” period of physical and mental struggle at Santos.

It is a sobering revelation about a player who has spent the best part of two decades dazzling crowds, breaking records and carrying expectations that few footballers in history have had to shoulder. At 33, Neymar is no longer fighting defenders alone — he is fighting his own body.

Neymar, Injuries and the Breaking Point at Santos

Neymar’s return to Santos was supposed to be a homecoming filled with romance and renewed joy. Instead, it has been marked by frustration, pain and yet another cycle of recovery and rehabilitation. Serious knee ligament damage previously led to the termination of his contract at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, cutting short what was meant to be a lucrative and relatively stable chapter of his career.

Back in Brazil, fitness problems followed him through the door. More surgery became unavoidable, and with each setback came the same haunting question: is it worth it anymore?

According to Neymar’s father, the answer was not always clear. The physical pain was one thing, but the mental toll of repeated injuries, constant scrutiny and public doubt proved just as damaging. For a player built on rhythm, confidence and instinct, spending more time on the treatment table than the pitch can be devastating.

There were moments when Neymar felt completely drained — not only physically exhausted, but emotionally worn down by the endless cycle of hope and disappointment.

When Retirement Became a Real Thought for Neymar

The most striking admission from Neymar Senior was just how close his son came to ending it all. In one particularly difficult moment, following news of another knee operation, Neymar openly questioned whether continuing made any sense.

“I can’t take it anymore,” he reportedly told his father. “I don’t even know if it’s worth operating. For me, that’s it.”

Those words carry weight. This is not a fringe player clinging on at the end of his career — this is Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer, a footballer who has won everything at club level and still dreams of one final World Cup. To hear him speak so candidly about giving up reveals how deep the struggle had become.

His father admitted that for a brief moment, he feared losing control of his son’s mental state. The constant noise from the outside world — speculation, criticism, leaked medical details — only made matters worse. Before Neymar himself had even been fully informed about the need for surgery, the news had already reached the press.

“It hits him hard,” Neymar Senior explained. “People saying Neymar won’t play again this year. His mind just collapses.”

The Mental Battle Behind Neymar’s Physical Pain

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Injuries isolate players. Training sessions are replaced by rehab rooms, matchdays by long hours watching from the stands. For someone as competitive as Neymar, being told to hold back is almost impossible.

His father painted a vivid picture of a player who simply cannot switch off his instincts. Even when doctors and staff tried to manage his minutes, Neymar would track back, demand the ball and push himself beyond safe limits.

“How do you control that?” his father asked. “By keeping him off the field — that’s the only way.”

The mental strain of that restriction is enormous. Neymar has always played with freedom, flair and emotion. Being told to slow down, to protect himself, goes against everything that made him great in the first place.

Why Neymar Didn’t Quit: Santos, Pride and the World Cup Dream

Despite flirting with retirement, Neymar ultimately chose to keep going — and the reasons were deeply personal. Santos needed him. In 2025, the club found itself flirting with relegation danger, and Neymar played through pain in an effort to help steer them to safety.

There was also the matter of Brazil. With 79 international goals, Neymar remains his country’s all-time top scorer, and the dream of one final World Cup appearance in 2026 still burns strongly. His father admitted that this ambition became a powerful motivator during some dark conversations.

“There’s a narrative out there,” he told his son. “Very noisy people who want to make you give up. If we give up, there’s very little left.”

It was not about guarantees or trophies. It was about finishing the journey on his own terms — knowing he had given everything.

A Small Turning Point After Surgery

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The morning after one of their most difficult talks, Neymar sent a simple message to his father: he was going to train.

It was not a dramatic declaration, just a quiet decision to try again. He trained, felt some pain, but managed to get through the session. He started shooting with both feet, pushing boundaries that worried those closest to him.

For Neymar, those small moments mattered. They reminded him that, even battered and bruised, he could still feel like himself on a football pitch.

“I think it works,” he said. Sometimes, that is enough to keep going.

What Comes Next for Neymar After Retirement Talks

Speculation has not stopped, of course. Rumours of a move to MLS, including a potential reunion with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami, have swirled endlessly. The idea of reviving the famous “MSN” trio has obvious appeal, both commercially and emotionally.

Yet the latest reports suggest Neymar is leaning towards continuity rather than escape. A new contract extension with Santos is now being discussed, potentially keeping him at the club through another season and, crucially, into the build-up for the 2026 World Cup.

That decision, if confirmed, would say a lot about Neymar’s mindset. This is not a player ready to fade quietly away. It is a footballer who has stared retirement in the face, felt its pull, and chosen — for now — to fight on.

Neymar’s story has never been simple. Talent, pressure, joy and pain have always coexisted in his career. These latest revelations only reinforce one truth: behind the highlight reels and headlines is a human being, struggling, doubting and still daring to believe that one more chapter is worth writing.