Santos forward Neymar has once again been left out of the squad during the period surrounding the birthday of his sister Rafaella Santos, Idman.Biz reports.
The 34-year-old will miss Santos’ Brazilian league match against Mirassol on 11 March, the day Rafaella turns 30. The club has officially cited "muscle fatigue" as the reason for the absence, with the medical staff opting for a load-management approach to prevent more serious injuries.
The situation has drawn additional attention because Brazil national team head coach Carlo Ancelotti travelled to watch the match in person. The Italian manager had planned to assess Neymar’s form ahead of announcing his squad for the March friendlies against France and Croatia. However, the forward did not even participate in the team’s final training session.
Neymar’s absence has revived a long-running football curiosity. Over the past twelve years, this is the tenth time he has missed a match that falls around the birthday of his sister Rafaella. Since 2015, the Brazilian has frequently been either injured or suspended around 11 March, a pattern that has become a well-known talking point among fans and media.
The striker, who returned to Santos in the latter stage of his career after spells with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal, has struggled with injuries in recent seasons. Despite that, he remains a key figure in Brazilian football and is still being considered for the national team ahead of upcoming international fixtures.
