That Neymar is always complaining about the refereeing is nothing new!
But what if we told you that, since the star’s return to Santos in 2025, he has been the player fouled the most in the Brasileirão — would that surprise you?
According to a survey by Gato Mestre, the data team at ge, Neymar was not only the most heavily targeted player in the Brasileirão last year, but has also seen that number rise considerably this season.
In the 2025 edition, the star suffered 68 fouls in 20 matches, finishing the year with an average of 3.4 fouls drawn per game.
In 2026, those numbers have gone up.
In just five Série A matches so far, Neymar has already suffered 22 fouls, raising his average to an impressive 4.4 fouls per game.
The player who comes closest to the Santos man in both seasons is Cruzeiro midfielder Matheus Pereira.
Last year, the Cruzeiro player averaged 3.26 fouls suffered per game, and in the current edition he is averaging 4.2 per game.
The high number of physical challenges has pushed the star to the limit in recent weeks:
Against Remo, Neymar suffered half of all the fouls committed by the Pará side (7 of 14).
Angry in the closing stages over the constant rough treatment, the No. 10 harshly complained to the referee, was shown a yellow card, and missed the match against Flamengo.
Against Atlético-MG, in the last round, Ney was the player who took the most punishment on the pitch, suffering five fouls throughout the game.
The statistic worries Santos and the player himself because of his physical condition. Neymar, 34, has been training under load management and his main goal is to wear the Brazil national team shirt again at the 2026 World Cup.
His biggest opponent right now, however, is time.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti will announce the final 26-man squad on May 18.
Until then, Neymar will have at most nine matches in a Santos shirt to prove he is fit to play in the World Cup.
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*All data was compiled by Gato Mestre, from ge
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
