Neymar came off the field at the Mangueirão on Tuesday night, blew kisses to the Remo fans who had jeered him all evening, and then walked toward the tunnel and started to dance.

In front of Remo officials on the other side of a barrier, the Santos No. 10 shouted the same word again and again: “Eliminado! Eliminado!”

Remo staff shouted back and gestured obscenely, and the two groups almost squared up before stadium security wedged themselves between the parties. Teammate Gabriel Barbosa, following the exchange from a couple of steps behind, was left visibly incredulous.

Remo president brands him ‘a bum’

The most cutting response came from the club president. Antônio Carlos Teixeira, known in Brazilian football as Tonhão, told Portal O Fluxo that the Santos star had crossed a line for someone with his standing.

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“This bum Neymar, who is idolized by a bunch of kids, who did his little clown act here, still came to provoke us.”

Teixeira paired the personal jab with a swipe at Santos, saying the club “did not need” that kind of way to close out the tie.

The 45 minutes that put Santos through

Neymar was not the direct cause of Remo’s exit. The tie had already tilted in the first half when Remo captain Marllon was shown a straight red in the 27th minute for a foul on Santos forward Caballero, upgraded by VAR, according to CNN Brasil. The first leg had ended 0-0.

At the interval, head coach Cuca sent on Neymar for Gabriel Bontempo and Rony for Gabriel Barbosa. In the 73rd minute Neymar won a duel with Zé Welison out wide, drove into the box and squared it low for Rony, who finished over the goalkeeper to book Santos’ place in the last eight.

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Retirement is on the table in December

The dance carries added weight because Neymar has publicly floated the idea that this could be his final stretch as a professional. His Santos contract runs to December, and in a video posted to his own YouTube channel this week he admitted retirement was one of the options.

“I’m not thinking about stopping, nor do I know how long I’ll carry on.”

“I really don’t know what I’m going to do. There’s still a long way to go until December, so let’s take it one step at a time.”

His international career is already closed: Brazil’s Round of 16 exit at the 2026 World Cup was his final Seleção appearance. Santos will find out their quarterfinal opponent when the CBF holds the next draw.

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