Neymar and Robinho Jr. shared an emotional embrace on the sidelines after Santos found the net against Deportivo Recoleta in a 1-1 draw on Tuesday (6), as both players later addressed the misunderstanding that had occurred during training at the club the previous weekend.
The Santos number 10 later issued a public apology during a mixed zone interview at the stadium in Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay.
Robinho Jr. accepted the apology and confirmed he would withdraw the formal notification he had submitted to Santos.
“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 boy.
He went on to describe the training ground incident in detail, acknowledging that he was slapped in the face but stressing that both players had already moved past the matter.
“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.
“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. further clarified that the complaint submitted to Santos was made in a “moment of great anger,” alongside his representatives.
He added that he never intended for the situation to escalate publicly and reaffirmed his commitment to the club, with a contract running until March 2031.
“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.
“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 pair were seen embracing again after Neymar’s goal against Recoleta, highlighting the resolution of the dispute and a renewed focus on Santos’ campaign in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage.
