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Neymar Sent Off For ‘Hand Of God’ Imitation In Potential Farewell Game For Santos
Jun 2, 2025
Brazilian football star Neymar Jr. endured a night to forget on Sunday as his controversial attempt to replicate Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal earned him a red card potentially marking the end of his short-lived return to boyhood club Santos.
With the Brazilian Serie A clash between Santos and Botafogo finely poised at 0-0 in the final quarter-hour, Neymar launched himself at a rebound inside the box and deliberately guided the ball into the net with his hand.
The effort was immediately disallowed, and the referee wasted no time in issuing a second yellow card, sending the 33-year-old forward off in the 76th minute.
The moment sparked furious protests from Botafogo players and stunned the home crowd at the Vila Belmiro Stadium, who had been hoping for a spark of magic from their returning hero.
To compound Neymar’s misery, Botafogo struck the winning goal just four minutes from time through Artur Guimarães, sealing a 1-0 defeat that left Santos languishing in 18th place after 11 league fixtures.
Neymar, who had missed seven of those games through injury and is yet to register a goal or assist this season, took to social media after the match to apologize.
“I made a mistake, forgive me!” Neymar posted on Instagram. “Today, if I hadn’t been sent off, I’m sure we would have gotten the three points. You can count these three points against me!”
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