Carletto picked wrong day to watch Neymar: Sister's birthday above all
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 12.03.26. | 10:27
For the jubilee tenth time in his career, the Brazilian missed the game on March 11, even though Ancelotti came to watch him
Yesterday, Mozzart Sport Kenya announced that Neymar wouldn't feature in Santos' clash against Mirassol due to alleged muscle fatigue, even though the attendance of Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti had been announced.
The Italian gaffer reportedly arrived at Jose Maria de Campos Maia Stadium for one specific reason - to watch Neymar and assess his ability to help the Selecao in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. But alas... It turned out he came for nothing, as the game was played last night and ended in a 2-2 draw, while the 34-year-old forward wasn't a participant.
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However, the reason behind his absence might be a bit different than the initial explanation. Namely, the aforementioned "muscle fatigue" may in fact be his sister Rafaella Santos, whose birthday coincided with the match.
Neymar will once again miss a game close to his sister's birthday, as Santos has decided to rest him to manage his physical condition. pic.twitter.com/eUjp3r2AEf
— Imam Shoaib Khan (@fdjpedri) March 10, 2026
Meticulous analysts noticed a well-known pattern that occurs in Neymar's life on March 11 almost every year, as the latest Santos game he missed was the tenth he did not play on this particular date!
Given the speculations, he reacted with a rather angry post on Instagram.
Neymar reacted on social media after criticism for missing Santos’ game against Mirassol 📲 pic.twitter.com/4oiFO5hig1
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 11, 2026
"If I play while hurt, I'm wrong. If I think about myself, I'm wrong. If I hold back, I'm wrong. If I play with pain, I'm wrong."
"It's really difficult to please everyone. It's very tough to be me. I have to be tough to take it!" Neymar wrote.
And, in the end, we have to give the man some slack. After all, he surely wouldn't risk his appearance in his fourth World Cup for his sister's birthday. Or would he?