Santos, a club that will have to fight to ascend back to Brasileirão this year after a painful and inexplicable relegation, is starting 2024 with an excellent streak in the Paulistão.
Fábio Carille’s team is the undisputed leader of Group A in the Paulista Championship, having already accumulated 15 points after six matches, winning five of them and losing only one.
In their most recent match, in the important alvinegro classic against Corinthians, Vila Belmiro had a special spectator: Neymar Jr., a legend of Peixe who enjoyed his team’s victory with a goal from João Schmidt assisted by Rómulo Otero.
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Neymar was caught praising the new “number 5” of Peixe, João Schmidt
During the match, Santos TV cameras captured the Al-Hilal footballer, who is in Brazil while continuing his long recovery process after his injury, asking about the goal scorer, João Schmidt, and made it clear that he really likes what he sees:
“Who is that number 5?” Neymar asked one of his companions, who reminded him of the name of the veteran midfielder who now dominates the core of Peixe: “João Schmidt.”
After receiving the answer, Neymar, surprised and pleased, replied, “Is it him? Wow, he’s good, brother.”
João Schmidt arrived in January of this year from Kawasaki Frontale in the Japanese League and, at 30 years old, has already won the affection and trust of Santos to dominate the midfield in this important season that is beginning.
The midfielder, born in São Paulo, has had a long career abroad. He was formed in the youth teams of São Paulo FC and played for teams like Vitória Setúbal and Rio Ave in Portugal, Atalanta in Italy, and two Japanese teams, Nagoya Grampus and Kawasaki Frontale, his last team before taking on the challenge at Peixe.
