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Brazilian football club Santos fired its coach, Cleber Xavier, after a 6-0 home loss Sunday to Vasco Da Gama that saw Neymar Jr. leave the field in tears after the match. With 19 matches of the season gone, Santos find themselves in a relegation-threatened 15th spot in the points table. The club just has 6 wins, 3 draws, and 10 defeats to its name so far, accumulating just 21 points. Neymar, who has clinched some of the biggest titles in European football during his time at Barcelona, finds himself in an uncharted terriroty, following a return to his boyhood club.
“The club thanks the coach for the services provided,” Santos said of Xavier, who only took over in April, “and wishes him luck in the continuation of his career.”
The result left Santos — famously the club of Brazil great Pele and now Neymar — in 15th place in the 20-team Brazilian top flight, two points above the relegation zone.
Neymar was consoled on the field by a member of Santos’ backroom staff after a game that saw Vasco’s Philippe Coutinho score twice.
Neymar, Santos’un Vasco da Gamaya 6-0 yenildigi macin ardindan gozyaslarini tutamad pic.twitter.com/uirhnLnBR5
— TRT Spor (@trtspor) August 18, 2025
With tears in his eyes, Neymar was absolutely furious after the game. He didn’t shy away from lambasting teammates over the poor show against Vasco.
Neymar Jr: “We were so sh*t. It was a disgrace. The fans have the right to curse and insult people today. It’s acceptable. I feel ashamed. I had never experienced anything like this in my life.” pic.twitter.com/crDGNKBysa
— The Touchline | (@TouchlineX) August 18, 2025
The 33-year-old Neymar, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star, returned to his boyhood club in January after an underwhelming spell in Saudi Arabia and signed a contract extension in June, keeping him at Santos until the end of the year.