NEYMAR NONCOMMITTAL ON SANTOS FUTURE AFTER INJURY HAT-TRICK
Neymar scored a crucial hat-trick in 17 minutes, giving Santos a vital 3-0 win and boosting their Brasileirão survival chances. He remains noncommittal on his future.
Neymar had a great game on Wednesday, scoring three goals in Santos' solid 3-0 win against Juventude. This win is a big deal for Santos, improving their odds of staying in the top league, the Brasileirão.
Despite a knee issue, Neymar really showed his skill, scoring his goals in just 17 minutes during the second half. He scored first in the 56th minute, then again just 10 minutes later. He completed his hat trick with a penalty in the 73rd minute.
This is his first time scoring three goals in a game since April 2022, when he did it for Paris Saint-Germain against Clermont.
He didn't say much about his future with Santos after the game.
Neymar on his Santos future: I don’t know.
After the game, the former Barcelona and PSG star said he’s focused on finishing this season strong and wouldn’t say if he’ll stay in Brazil.
“I don’t know, honestly. I want to finish this season first and then think about what’s next. Santos is always my priority,” he said.
About playing injured, Neymar said he’s careful not to risk his career and that he can handle the injury.
“I’m really happy about the goals and helping Santos. We’re happy about the win. We have one game left, and we need to give it everything at Vila again,” he said. “My health always comes first—I won’t do anything that could hurt my career. It’s something I’ve been dealing with for years. I’m doing everything I can to get back to 100%. Scoring today made me really happy.”
“I’m always myself in every game, no matter what. Things don't always go as planned because of the team or injuries, but I always show up. I know what I can do on the field and always try my best,” he added.
Santos is now out of the relegation zone
The win on Wednesday moved Santos two points away from the relegation zone. With only one game left this season, beating Juventude greatly improves their chances of staying out of the second division.
Santos, a famous club where the legendary Pelé played his best, now faces Cruzeiro in their last league game. If they win, they’ll secure their spot in the top division for next season.
CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.
Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.
Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.
Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.
And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.
N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY
N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?
N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.
Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.
Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.
Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.
Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.