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Neymar scores historic brace for Santos and boosts case to be in Brazil World Cup squad

Neymar scores historic brace for Santos and boosts case to be in Brazil World Cup squad

Neymar broke into the top 10 of Santos FC’s all-time leading goalscorers this week after scoring twice in a 2-1 win against Vasco da Gama in the Brazilian league.

He also gathered more support in his bid to make Brazil’s squad for the World Cup.

The match on Friday was only the third of the year for the 34-year-old Neymar. He suffered an ACL injury in October 2023 and underwent another knee surgery in December.

Critics were impressed not only by Neymar scoring twice but also by the way he did. The first came from a crossed shot that showed more power and accuracy than he had recently displayed. The second came after a run and a gentle lob over the goalkeeper.

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“Last week some said I was the worst player in the world,” Neymar told local media after the game, in reference to a 2-1 defeat to Novorizontino in the Sao Paulo state championship. “But today I scored twice, and that’s what matters. One day you’re no good, you should retire; on the other, you have to go to the World Cup.”

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has repeatedly said he will take only players who are 100 per cent fit to the World Cup. But local players, analysts, and coaches are increasingly defending Neymar’s credentials even if he is not at his best.

“I am almost 100% sure he will take Neymar,” former Brazil and Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo told Globo Esporte. “He knows he will need Neymar’s intelligence and skill.”

He became Santos’ 10th highest goalscorer with 151 in two stints. Pelé tops the list with 1,061. Neymar is Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer with 79 in 125 matches.

Published on Feb 27, 2026

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Deadspin | Hunter Dobbins set for Cardinals debut vs. Pirates, Paul Skenes  Apr 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images   Hunter Dobbins will go up against a formidable opposite number in his Cardinals debut on Thursday afternoon when St. Louis opposes the host Pittsburgh Pirates.  The 26-year-old right-hander will face the Pirates’ ace, reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes (4-1, 2.48 ERA).  St. Louis has won the first three contests of the four-game series after holding on for a 5-4 victory on Thursday night, which ended with Nathan Church leaping at the left field wall to snare Nick Gonzales’ long drive with a runner on.  Dobbins will be activated from the injured list to make a spot start with St. Louis in the team’s stretch of 17 games in 17 days. Dobbins has been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis, where he went 3-0 with a 4.37 ERA in five starts.  The Texas Tech product is set to make his first major league appearance since last July, when he was a member of the Boston Red Sox and tore his right ACL during a fielding play. That injury and an elbow strain limited him to 61 innings as a rookie in 2025.  Dobbins will be trying to follow an outstanding start by Andre Pallante on Wednesday night, in which he allowed a run and five hits over six innings.  Dobbins went 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA, 17 walks and 45 strikeouts in 13 games (11 starts) for the Red Sox last year.  The Cardinals obtained Dobbins and two other pitching prospects when they traded Willson Contreras to Boston in December.  Dobbins faced only two of Pittsburgh’s current players last season. Jake Mangum singled against him as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Ryan O’Hearn went 0-for-2 vs. Dobbins while playing for the Baltimore Orioles.   Skenes, who has 30 strikeouts and a 0.72 WHIP in 29 innings, is coming off a 6-0 win over the host Milwaukee Brewers on Friday in which he took a perfect game into the seventh. Jake Bauers’ two-out groundball single broke up the quest for perfection.  Skenes had to settle for seven innings of one-hit, scoring ball. He struck out a season-best seven, walked none and threw a season-high 93 pitches.  “That’s the best I’ve ever seen from anyone, I think,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the game.  Opponents are hitting .141 against Skenes this season. He held foes to a .198 average while winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and a .199 average in his Cy Young campaign last season.  “I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that he came up two years ago and he’s in his third season in the big leagues,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s continuing to get better, which is amazing considering what he’s already done in the game.”  Even so, Skenes has yet to defeat St. Louis in his short career. Despite a 2.39 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings over six starts against the Cardinals, Skenes has a 0-4 record in those contests. St. Louis has only managed 27 hits with seven walks against him.  Though his try for a game-winning walk-off home run was foiled by Church, Gonzales did extend his hitting streak to 10 games with a single earlier Wednesday night.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Hunter #Dobbins #set #Cardinals #debut #Pirates #Paul #SkenesApr 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Hunter Dobbins will go up against a formidable opposite number in his Cardinals debut on Thursday afternoon when St. Louis opposes the host Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 26-year-old right-hander will face the Pirates’ ace, reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes (4-1, 2.48 ERA).

St. Louis has won the first three contests of the four-game series after holding on for a 5-4 victory on Thursday night, which ended with Nathan Church leaping at the left field wall to snare Nick Gonzales’ long drive with a runner on.

Dobbins will be activated from the injured list to make a spot start with St. Louis in the team’s stretch of 17 games in 17 days. Dobbins has been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis, where he went 3-0 with a 4.37 ERA in five starts.

The Texas Tech product is set to make his first major league appearance since last July, when he was a member of the Boston Red Sox and tore his right ACL during a fielding play. That injury and an elbow strain limited him to 61 innings as a rookie in 2025.

Dobbins will be trying to follow an outstanding start by Andre Pallante on Wednesday night, in which he allowed a run and five hits over six innings.

Dobbins went 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA, 17 walks and 45 strikeouts in 13 games (11 starts) for the Red Sox last year.

The Cardinals obtained Dobbins and two other pitching prospects when they traded Willson Contreras to Boston in December.


Dobbins faced only two of Pittsburgh’s current players last season. Jake Mangum singled against him as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Ryan O’Hearn went 0-for-2 vs. Dobbins while playing for the Baltimore Orioles.

Skenes, who has 30 strikeouts and a 0.72 WHIP in 29 innings, is coming off a 6-0 win over the host Milwaukee Brewers on Friday in which he took a perfect game into the seventh. Jake Bauers’ two-out groundball single broke up the quest for perfection.

Skenes had to settle for seven innings of one-hit, scoring ball. He struck out a season-best seven, walked none and threw a season-high 93 pitches.

“That’s the best I’ve ever seen from anyone, I think,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the game.

Opponents are hitting .141 against Skenes this season. He held foes to a .198 average while winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and a .199 average in his Cy Young campaign last season.

“I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that he came up two years ago and he’s in his third season in the big leagues,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s continuing to get better, which is amazing considering what he’s already done in the game.”

Even so, Skenes has yet to defeat St. Louis in his short career. Despite a 2.39 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings over six starts against the Cardinals, Skenes has a 0-4 record in those contests. St. Louis has only managed 27 hits with seven walks against him.

Though his try for a game-winning walk-off home run was foiled by Church, Gonzales did extend his hitting streak to 10 games with a single earlier Wednesday night.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Hunter #Dobbins #set #Cardinals #debut #Pirates #Paul #Skenes">Deadspin | Hunter Dobbins set for Cardinals debut vs. Pirates, Paul Skenes  Apr 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images   Hunter Dobbins will go up against a formidable opposite number in his Cardinals debut on Thursday afternoon when St. Louis opposes the host Pittsburgh Pirates.  The 26-year-old right-hander will face the Pirates’ ace, reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes (4-1, 2.48 ERA).  St. Louis has won the first three contests of the four-game series after holding on for a 5-4 victory on Thursday night, which ended with Nathan Church leaping at the left field wall to snare Nick Gonzales’ long drive with a runner on.  Dobbins will be activated from the injured list to make a spot start with St. Louis in the team’s stretch of 17 games in 17 days. Dobbins has been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis, where he went 3-0 with a 4.37 ERA in five starts.  The Texas Tech product is set to make his first major league appearance since last July, when he was a member of the Boston Red Sox and tore his right ACL during a fielding play. That injury and an elbow strain limited him to 61 innings as a rookie in 2025.  Dobbins will be trying to follow an outstanding start by Andre Pallante on Wednesday night, in which he allowed a run and five hits over six innings.  Dobbins went 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA, 17 walks and 45 strikeouts in 13 games (11 starts) for the Red Sox last year.  The Cardinals obtained Dobbins and two other pitching prospects when they traded Willson Contreras to Boston in December.  Dobbins faced only two of Pittsburgh’s current players last season. Jake Mangum singled against him as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Ryan O’Hearn went 0-for-2 vs. Dobbins while playing for the Baltimore Orioles.   Skenes, who has 30 strikeouts and a 0.72 WHIP in 29 innings, is coming off a 6-0 win over the host Milwaukee Brewers on Friday in which he took a perfect game into the seventh. Jake Bauers’ two-out groundball single broke up the quest for perfection.  Skenes had to settle for seven innings of one-hit, scoring ball. He struck out a season-best seven, walked none and threw a season-high 93 pitches.  “That’s the best I’ve ever seen from anyone, I think,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the game.  Opponents are hitting .141 against Skenes this season. He held foes to a .198 average while winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and a .199 average in his Cy Young campaign last season.  “I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that he came up two years ago and he’s in his third season in the big leagues,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s continuing to get better, which is amazing considering what he’s already done in the game.”  Even so, Skenes has yet to defeat St. Louis in his short career. Despite a 2.39 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings over six starts against the Cardinals, Skenes has a 0-4 record in those contests. St. Louis has only managed 27 hits with seven walks against him.  Though his try for a game-winning walk-off home run was foiled by Church, Gonzales did extend his hitting streak to 10 games with a single earlier Wednesday night.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Hunter #Dobbins #set #Cardinals #debut #Pirates #Paul #Skenes

Deadspin | Howard tabs John Wall as president of basketball ops  Jan 29, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Former Washington Wizards guard John Wall looks on before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images   Five-time NBA All-Star and former top overall draft pick John Wall is returning to the Washington.  ESPN reported on Thursday that Wall has become the president of basketball operations at Howard, based in D.C. and a top-ranked HBCU program.  Wall played the first nine seasons of his NBA career with Washington after being selected by the Wizards with the top overall pick of the 2010 draft out of Kentucky. He averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 573 career games (561 starts) with Washington.  Wall, 35, served as Howard’s honorary captain for the team’s game against Norfolk State on Jan. 31. Per ESPN, he reportedly expressed to the school of having an interest in serving as president of basketball operations at the NBA level one day.   Wall will work alongside Howard coach Kenny Blakeney and team general manager Daniel Marks in his new role.  Wall, who did not play in 2019-20, was involved in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2020, that saw Russell Westbrook sent to Washington. The Wizards sent Wall and a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Rockets for Westbrook and a lottery-protected first-round pick in the same 2023 draft.  Wall played one season in Houston (2020-21), sat out the 2021-22 season with an injury and came back to compete in 34 games with the Clippers in 2022-23. He officially retired from the NBA on Aug. 19, 2025.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Howard #tabs #John #Wall #president #basketball #opsJan 29, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Former Washington Wizards guard John Wall looks on before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Five-time NBA All-Star and former top overall draft pick John Wall is returning to the Washington.

ESPN reported on Thursday that Wall has become the president of basketball operations at Howard, based in D.C. and a top-ranked HBCU program.

Wall played the first nine seasons of his NBA career with Washington after being selected by the Wizards with the top overall pick of the 2010 draft out of Kentucky. He averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 573 career games (561 starts) with Washington.


Wall, 35, served as Howard’s honorary captain for the team’s game against Norfolk State on Jan. 31. Per ESPN, he reportedly expressed to the school of having an interest in serving as president of basketball operations at the NBA level one day.

Wall will work alongside Howard coach Kenny Blakeney and team general manager Daniel Marks in his new role.

Wall, who did not play in 2019-20, was involved in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2020, that saw Russell Westbrook sent to Washington. The Wizards sent Wall and a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Rockets for Westbrook and a lottery-protected first-round pick in the same 2023 draft.

Wall played one season in Houston (2020-21), sat out the 2021-22 season with an injury and came back to compete in 34 games with the Clippers in 2022-23. He officially retired from the NBA on Aug. 19, 2025.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Howard #tabs #John #Wall #president #basketball #ops">Deadspin | Howard tabs John Wall as president of basketball ops  Jan 29, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Former Washington Wizards guard John Wall looks on before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images   Five-time NBA All-Star and former top overall draft pick John Wall is returning to the Washington.  ESPN reported on Thursday that Wall has become the president of basketball operations at Howard, based in D.C. and a top-ranked HBCU program.  Wall played the first nine seasons of his NBA career with Washington after being selected by the Wizards with the top overall pick of the 2010 draft out of Kentucky. He averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 573 career games (561 starts) with Washington.  Wall, 35, served as Howard’s honorary captain for the team’s game against Norfolk State on Jan. 31. Per ESPN, he reportedly expressed to the school of having an interest in serving as president of basketball operations at the NBA level one day.   Wall will work alongside Howard coach Kenny Blakeney and team general manager Daniel Marks in his new role.  Wall, who did not play in 2019-20, was involved in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2020, that saw Russell Westbrook sent to Washington. The Wizards sent Wall and a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Rockets for Westbrook and a lottery-protected first-round pick in the same 2023 draft.  Wall played one season in Houston (2020-21), sat out the 2021-22 season with an injury and came back to compete in 34 games with the Clippers in 2022-23. He officially retired from the NBA on Aug. 19, 2025.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Howard #tabs #John #Wall #president #basketball #ops

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