Unforgettable farewell: Neymar sent off for ‘Hand of God’ incident in potential last game for boyhood club Santos - 'I made a mistake, forgive me!'
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Published 02/06/2025 at 17:53 GMT+1
Neymar's final contribution at his boyhood club Santos could be a costly handball that bore a striking resemblance to Maradona's 'Hand of God' against England in 1986. The Brazilian was sent off for the infringement and with his contract expiring at the end of June, his suspension is expected to rule him out of Santos' last league match before Serie A breaks for the new-look FIFA Club World Cup.
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Neymar could have played his last game for boyhood club Santos after the Brazilian was sent off for a Diego Maradona-esque stunt on Sunday.
But instead of netting a strike to rival the Argentinian's FIFA Goal of the Century, Neymar emulated Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal from the same game, against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals.
This time, the officials were on hand to spot the infringement - Neymar had flicked a rebound home with his hand under pressure from a Botafogo defender.
The deliberate handball was enough to earn the 33-year-old a second yellow card and Santos went on to lose the league match 1-0, when a 86th-minute winner from Artur arrived shortly afterwards.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward was quick to apologise for his error, claiming Santos would have won the match, were it not for his sending off.
"Desperation of scoring sometimes causes us to commit mistakes..." read Neymar's post on social media.
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"I want to apologise to my teammates and also to the fans! I made a mistake, forgive me! Today, if I hadn't been sent off, I'm sure we would have gotten the three points.
"Congratulations to the team for today's game! Those three points can be put on my account!"
Neymar rejoined Santos from Al Hilal in January and his current contract runs until June 30.
With the Brazilian's suspension expected to rule him out of Santos' next fixture, away at Fortaleza, his hand in the club's latest loss could well be his last contribution.
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The FIFA Club World Cup runs from June 14 until July 13, effectively pausing the Brazilian top flight until mid-July.
Santos are not involved in the new-look tournament, and so unless Neymar signs a contract extension, his final appearance for the club could be memorable for all the wrong reasons.
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