It was not initially planned, but Neymar decided to join Santos on Sunday evening to attend the funeral of Pelé, the legend of Brazilian football. PSG will have to do without him in the coming days.
While the PSG suffered the wrath of RC Lens this Sunday evening, Neymar, who was to stay in the capital at first, decided to fly to Sao Paulo. PSG’s number 10, who was suspended to face the second in Ligue 1, finally chose to join Santos, his training club, to be present on the day of the funeral of Pelé, who died last week at 82 from cancer. . Three days of national mourning have been declared in Brazil, and this Monday, a procession from Sao Paulo to Santos will carry the coffin of the triple world champion, and considered the King of football. His remains will be installed in the center of the Vila Belmiro de Santos stadium, where everyone can see him during the day. Then, the final funeral will take place on Tuesday at the Memorial Necropolis Eucumenica.
Neymar is expected to be at his idol’s funeral tomorrow. He arrived in the evening in Guarujá #PeleEterno
— Eric Frosio (@froz91) January 1, 2023
Very close to Pelé, Neymar was touched by the death of the idol of a whole people, who reigned over world football in the 1960s. Before Pelé, 10 was just a number, the PSG star wrote on social media after news broke of the King’s death. I read this sentence somewhere, at some point in my life. But this beautiful sentence is incomplete. I would say that before Pelé, football was just a sport. Pelé changed everything, continues the Brazilian striker. He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, to blacks and above all: he gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King! He is gone, but his magic will remain. Pelé is eternal! “, explained Neymar at the death of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, says Pelé.
Neymar probably forfeited in the Coupe de France
Neymar’s move to Brazil should be very quick, and has most likely been concluded with the agreement of the capital club. PSG is not playing a match this week, and will simply face Châteauroux in the Coupe de France this Friday. A meeting for which Neymar had to be excused to breathe after the sequence of the world and Ligue 1, even if with his red card collected against Strasbourg, the Brazilian could be asked by Christophe Galtier to keep the pace. But with this departure to Brazil, the double trip and the emotions experienced, his return to training cannot take place before Wednesday at the earliest, which makes his presence Gaston Petit for the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France very unlikely.