Neymar and Robinho Jr. shared an emotional moment on the sidelines after Santos scored in their 1-1 draw against Deportivo Recoleta on Tuesday, signaling a resolution to a recent misunderstanding between the pair during a training session last weekend.
Following the match in Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay, Santos’ number 10 publicly apologized during a mixed zone interview, addressing the incident that had drawn attention in recent days. Robinho Jr. confirmed he accepted the apology and would retract the formal complaint he had previously filed with the club.
“Yes (I will withdraw it), I accept the apology, it’s normal. He’s human like all of us, everyone makes mistakes and I’ve made many mistakes too,” said the 18-year-old.
He went on to describe the training ground altercation, confirming he had been slapped but emphasizing that the matter had already been settled between them.
“That’s what happened (I was slapped in the face), but, as I said, he apologized right away. He realized he had gone too far, apologized several times, and I’ve already said that the apologies are accepted. Now it’s time to focus on the results and what’s most important for Santos,” he said.
Reflecting on the emotional impact, the young player noted his long-standing admiration for Neymar and expressed disappointment over how the situation escalated.
“It was a situation that upset me because he’s been my idol since childhood. He’s a guy I’ve loved very much, ever since I was little. The first gift he gave me was when I was 8 years old, and I cried a lot; I still have it to this day. It took on a proportion it shouldn’t have. Even if it was a mistake, he already apologized, he already admitted his mistake, he was man enough to admit it. I was also man enough to approach him and talk, and everything is fine. The people around us say many things that aren’t true, and it’s sad to see that it’s reached this level. But I’m calm, I like him a lot, we’ve already talked, and everything is resolved,” he concluded.
Robinho Jr. added that the complaint was made in a “moment of great anger,” alongside his representatives, and stressed that he had not intended for the issue to gain public attention.
“I could have thought twice, but it also wasn’t meant to have gone to the media, to have all this uproar, this unnecessary media attention that was bad for both of us. I didn’t want that, but it’s all resolved, I’ve already talked to him, I’ve talked to my parents. It’s all resolved,” she explained.
He reiterated his dedication to Santos, highlighting his long-term commitment to the club with a contract running until March 2031.
“My life is at Santos, so much so that I renewed my contract for that reason, to stay at Santos, because I believe there is a lot ahead. I feel in my heart that I owe something to the Santos fans. I really want to do a lot for this club, I believe I have shown very little of what Robinho Jr. is like on and off the field,” he concluded.
The reconciliation was further underscored when the two players embraced again after Neymar found the net against Recoleta, signaling that the dispute had been put to rest as Santos refocus on their CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage campaign.
