Neymar apologises to team-mates after being sent off for trying to copy Diego Maradona

Neymar has issued an apology after he was shown a red card for attempting to emulate infamous 'Hand of God' goal in what could end up being his final game for boyhood club Santos.

During clash with Botafogo on Sunday, found the back of the net after an initial effort was parried into his path by goalkeeper John. In an attempt to reach the ball before Botafogo defender David Ricardo, Neymar stuck out his arm and swatted the ball into the goal with his hand.

The goal would have put Santos 1-0 up, but it was ultimately disallowed by the referee and Neymar was shown a second yellow card for handling the ball. To make matters worse, Botafogo went on to win the game thanks to a late goal from Artur Victor Guimaraes.

Neymar apologised for his sending off on , writing: "Desperation of scoring sometimes causes us to commit mistakes... I want to apologize to my teammates and also to the fans!

"I made a mistake, forgive me!!! Today if I don’t get sent off, I’m sure we could get the 3 points.. Congratulations to the team for today's game! Those 3 points can put on my account!!!"

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The game was Neymar's first start for the club since April, having been out of action with a hamstring injury, and it could prove to be his last appearance for Santos.

He will be suspended for Santos' clash with Fortaleza on Thursday, with Brazilian football then set to pause for the Club World Cup. Neymar will have to sign a new deal before Santos return to action in July, but it remains to be seen if the 33-year-old will extend his stay.

When asked about Neymar's red card, Santos boss Cleber Xavier said: "Yes, the expulsion is a problem. The expulsion of any player is a problem. Even more so for Ney, who had been playing well.

"He prepared a lot for this game, even with the adverse situations, like a sprain he had in the penultimate training session. When you lose a player it's already bad, when you lose an important player, it gets worse.

"I don't remember Botafogo creating a chance, they did after the expulsion, so it was difficult, yes. The idea was to win and at least draw to get us out of this situation. I won't have Neymar in the game against Fortaleza.

"He had a great performance considering the time he had to train. They didn't tell me anything about Neymar's renewal. I don't talk about any of my internal conversations. They will always exist, good or bad.

"But the way the game ended, with everyone so hot-headed, we retreated and let each person deal with their feelings. With a cool head, we resumed work and made internal decisions, such as demands and praise."

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