Neymar plays four full games in same month for the first time since 2023

BeSoccer 2 days ago 1.4k |

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Neymar has completed four full matches this month. EFE

This July 2025 has left Neymar with four games on the calendar in which the Brazilian has been able to play every minute. This hasn't happened since September 2024, and the last time he reached five was in 2022, something he could have achieved with Santos as well, but the recent 3-1 victory over Juventude does not count as it was outside the calendar month of July.

Always playing a starring role, it is difficult to imagine that a player of Neymar's caliber would not be accustomed to playing every minute of every game. The lack of continuity has taken its toll on the Brazilian: injuries, red cards, and poor physical condition have caused the striker to fall behind what is expected of a top-level professional athlete. In this new stage at Santos, it seems that he has put those obstacles aside to try to help the club that saw him emerge.

At a difficult time for Santos in the Brasileirao, Neymar played four full games in July: the victory against Flamengo in which he scored (1-0), the defeats against Mirassol FC (3-0) and Internacional (1-2), and the draw against Sport Recife (2-2). Four games without missing a minute in the same month... something that had not happened since 2023.

In addition, the Brazilian completed a fifth consecutive full match in Santos' 3-1 victory over Juventude, in which he led his team to victory by opening the scoring in the first half and sealing the victory with a late penalty goal. However, this full match played by the former Al Hilal player does not count towards the record mentioned in this article as it took place outside the calendar month of July.

We have to rewind his career many months. In all of 2025, before this July, he only completed one game in February. January, March, April, and May, without that record for the forward. In June, he was on track to add at least one, but he was sent off against Botafogo. The new year did not improve much on the bleak 2024: 12 full months without Neymar being able to play a full game. In fact, he only played a few minutes with Al Hilal in the AFC Champions League in October and November. Nothing else.

A dynamic that had already begun at times in 2023. It was precisely in September of that same year that Neymar last played four games from start to finish. It was during his first weeks with Al Hilal. Before that, at the end of the season with PSG, he struggled to find that physical consistency: from March to June, he did not complete a single game.

These months have not been easy in his return to Santos. Between complex injuries that have prevented him from being more consistent, clashes with fans—such as the most recent one with a fan of the Brazilian team—and the team's current sporting situation, he has found it difficult to enjoy this second chapter with the Sao Paulo team. This is also due to the criticism he has received individually.

Neymar Santos