Neymar in tears as Santos suffer humiliating defeat

At the beginning a smile, at the end - tears. Neymar experienced a tragic conclusion to a day meant for applause, because before the match against Vasco he received a special shirt with the number 250 on the back, symbolizing the number of matches with Santos (a milestone reached in the game against Cruzeiro). But when the match ended, he burst into tears, having suffered the heaviest defeat of his career. Vasco won 6–0 in the 20th round of the Brazilian Serie A, leaving Santos in the lower part of the table (where Vasco also sits), and handed Neymar a humiliation he had never before experienced. In his first spell with the black-and-whites, he lost 0–4 to Barcelona in the FIFA Club World Cup final, while in the first leg of the 2017 Champions League round of 16 he lost by the same scoreline with Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, against Barcelona.

But this was more drastic. More painful. So much so that the experienced forward sobbed from the agony. Partly also because of the insults from the stands, which the entire black-and-white team was exposed to.

“I’m completely disappointed with our performance. The fans have the right to protest in every possible way, of course without physical violence, although swearing and insulting people this time was entirely acceptable. I feel unbelievably ashamed. I have never in my life experienced anything like this. I’m crying from anger, from everything. Unfortunately, I can’t help in every way. It was horrible” said a tearful Neymar, as on the pitch, among others, Fernando Diniz, coach of Vasco and briefly Brazil’s national team manager, tried to console him.

It didn’t help. Sometimes there are no words to ease the sorrow. Especially knowing that this 0–6 will go down as one of the heaviest defeats in Santos’ history. They had lost by six before — 1–7 against Corinthians in 2005 and Internacional in 2023 — but this was truly hard to watch. Even more so because on the other side of the field stood Neymar’s friend Philippe Coutinho, who scored twice.

“To sum it up: it was sh… It’s a disgrace to play a match like this wearing the Santos shirt. We all should lower our heads, go home, and think about what we want to do. With today’s attitude, if we have to do what we did on the pitch, we shouldn’t even show up for the next match,” Neymar concluded.

Mad thing to say, but Neymar breaks personal record by simply playing football instead

And at the next match Santos won’t be led by Kleber Xavier. He lasted only 15 games, and as soon as the match with Vasco ended, the club’s directors dismissed him. As if any explanation were needed. There isn’t one — after such shame, the coach has to go. The fans, however, are hoping to see Jorge Sampaoli return to the bench, since he left a good impression during his spell with Santos from December 2018 to December 2019. The Argentine’s name was being chanted during the derby, once it became clear the supporters could no longer watch what was happening on the pitch. That’s why at one point they literally turned their backs on the players.

“Shame on you, shameless team” was one of the chants from the stands of Morumbi, later followed by: “Respect Santos, the greatest team in the world.” It even went so far that the players were called — idiots.