tag

Neymar returns to his home club Santos on Friday with only a few months left in his contract and questions over his future after indicating he would no longer play for Brazil following the country's World Cup disappointment.The injury-plagued Neymar was included in the World Cup squad almost three years after he last appeared for Brazil, and played only 37 minutes across two matches.His only goal - a penalty - was not enough to prevent an early exit for Brazil after a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16.An AI-generated video created by a fan circulated on social media, showed a young Neymar asking the current Neymar to chase a sixth World Cup title with Brazil in 2030.Brazil's all-time leading scorer added a comment: three laughing/crying emojis.The striker returned in January 2025 to his boyhood club Santos from Saudi club Al Hilal, and his contract runs out in December.After undergoing left-knee surgery late last year, Neymar played in only eight of the 19 matches Santos contested in the 2026 Brasileirao - the country's top football league.Nevertheless, he tallied four goals and two assists, offering glimpses of the footballer who dazzled fans at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.A source at Santos told AFP that the renewal of Neymar's contract will largely depend on board elections in December.Santos president Marcelo Teixeira, who spearheaded Neymar's return, has not said whether he will seek re-election."The first question was whether Neymar would stop playing," a club official told AFP on condition of anonymity."It ends here," Neymar said after Brazil's loss to Norway, which saw him collapse in tears after the final whistle.Amid press speculation about a permanent retirement, his father and agent Neymar Santos Sr urged him not to give up."Son, keep playing football. Feel the joy of having the ball at your feet again; smile on the pitch again," he wrote in a letter released via an Instagram video."Don't be afraid of tomorrow."Media reports have indicated that Neymar is considering continuing his career with US Major League Soccer (MLS), and that negotiations had taken place with FC Cincinnati, but fell through.The MLS is home to veteran stars such as Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Frenchman Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City), and German Thomas Mueller (Vancouver Whitecaps). 

Rescuers searched the rubble Tuesday ‌of a collapsed building in the southern Philippine city of General Santos, the ​worst hit by a powerful earthquake ‌that has killed at least 37 people and injured hundreds, to reach ‌two people still ⁠believed to be trapped inside. Regional ‌fire officer Edgar Tanawan, who is ‌leading the operation, told Reuters two people had been pulled out alive from the commercial building, ⁠housing a grocery store and other businesses, but a third was found dead. Scanners have so far detected no signs of life from the remaining two, he added."It’s difficult to accept, as a mother, that my son is still trapped there,” said Dioslinda Deluvio, distraught as she waited outside the building for news of her son. "I don’t know... it’s very hard to accept."My only call is to have him retrieved today so we ​can be at peace," said the 65-year-old mother. The 7.8-magnitude quake, which triggered tsunami warnings across several countries, struck early on Monday morning about 20km (12.4 miles) off the coast of Sarangani province, with ‌tremors felt strongly across Mindanao and as ⁠far as the ​city of Manado, 420km (261 miles) away on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.Officials ​said they hoped the death toll would not rise further as search and rescue operations continued, with more than 400 people injured and four still missing. Scenes of devastation were visible in parts of General Santos, which is home to more than 700,000 people and now under a state of calamity, with several buildings collapsed and debris strewn across streets beneath a tangle of toppled power lines and utility posts. Philippine disaster officials scoured damaged buildings to assess damage and worked to restore power and water for the thousands of residents affected by the disaster. The quake came eight months after the country ‌suffered its deadliest tremor in 12 years, ‌when a shallow 6.9 magnitude ⁠quake hit off the central island of Cebu, killing 79 people.DAMAGE TO SCHOOLS, HOSPITALSThe Philippines experiences ⁠hundreds of quakes each year ⁠and sits on tectonically complex parts of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a seismically active belt stretching from South America to the Russian Far East. Schools, which had just reopened on Monday after a long break, remained closed as authorities checked the condition of school buildings, thousands of which sustained minor to severe damage, Rafaelito Alejandro, head of the office of civil defence, told DZBB radio. A video shared ​by one school of the moment the quake struck showed a large group of children sitting on a floor swaying violently from side to side, some hugging teachers, before they fled en masse as a makeshift shelter collapsed behind them.The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 23 strong aftershocks, with the strongest measuring magnitude 6.7, forcing some residents to spend the night in evacuation centres and tents. In General Santos and Sarangani, patients were treated in makeshift tents as officials worked to ensure hospitals were safe, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told DZBB, ‌adding the restoration of power ​was critical as outages limited access to sensitive and sophisticated treatments needed by patients. 

Wendeson Wanderley Santos de Melo – better known as Dell – wears the mantle of comparison with a maturity that belies his age. Dubbed the Hinterland Haaland, or the Haaland of the Sertão, in reference to his backcountry roots in north-eastern Brazil, the teenage sensation is unfazed by being measured against one of the most formidable goalscorers the game has ever seen.In the lead-up to Brazil’s campaign at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025, Dell spoke exclusively to FIFA and revealed his admiration for his Norwegian counterpart.“Haaland is the player I look up to the most,” he said. “Whenever I can, I make time to watch his matches and videos, observing his behaviour both on and off the pitch. I study his positioning and movement in and around the box.”Though some may have dismissed the comparison, Dell prefers to embrace it, fuelling his inspiration to narrow the gap between himself and his idol.“I like the nickname because he’s someone I admire – I’m used to it now.”It is more than Dell’s physical traits that have drawn comparisons to Haaland – he plays like him too. The Bahia sharpshooter is a natural goalscorer, combining explosive speed with a cool head in front of goal, especially when it matters most. In 2023, he bagged 40 goals in 34 outings for Bahia’s U-17s, paving the way for him to step up to the U-20s and then the senior side.The South American U-17 Championship also bore witness to his brilliance earlier this year. He delivered when the Seleção needed him most, netting the only goal of the game against Chile in the semi-finals. He was then handed the responsibility of taking the decisive spot-kick in the final shootout against Colombia, which he dispatched with trademark composure.“There’s actually no big secret,” he laughed “It’s the result of a lot of hard work, both here at Bahia and with the national team. It’s important to always have faith, ambition and joy. The goals I scored were crucial in helping us reach the final and clinch the title. I’m so grateful, because even when times got tough I never lost faith and always trusted that we’d pull through.”Dell will now have the opportunity to strut his stuff at the on the global stage, having been called up by coach Dudu Patetuci. Brazil kick off their campaign against Honduras on 4 November.“Playing for Brazil is another dream come true," he continued."We won the South American title – now it’s time to go for the World Cup. I’m truly honoured and delighted to be playing for my country.”It is the first time that three Bahia players have been called up to represent the Canarinho at a global showpiece. Dell will be joined in Qatar by fellow forward Ruan Pablo and goalkeeper Arthur Jampa.“It’s also special to be representing the national team alongside two of my club team-mates, Jampa and Ruan Pablo," he stated. "We’ll be going for the title with Brazil after working together every day at Bahia. We trust in the coaching staff and want to make our fans proud by being good ambassadors for Brazilian football and Bahia.”This will be the biggest U-17 World Cup ever, with 48 teams set to compete for the coveted crown, and the final set for Khalifa International Stadium, one of the venues used at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. While keeping his feet on the ground, Dell is dreaming big and hoping to make it all the way to the decider.“(Playing at Khalifa International Stadium) is an added incentive for us – FIFA nailed it with that one," he said. "It’s special to be able to play in a stadium where some of the world’s greatest stars have featured at the World Cup.“We all dream of one day playing for the senior national team. Doing well at this World Cup would bring that dream ever closer. Pulling on the shirt of the world’s greatest national team would undoubtedly be a huge privilege.”