After starring to help his side overcome a stubborn Coritiba side, Santos star Neymar bemoaned the loss of his friend Ganso, but also promised to beat his former team-mate when they meet.
While Neymar, 20, has signed a long-term contract with Santos, Ganso failed to agree terms with the club and this week ended a long-running saga by agreeing to join local rivals São Paulo.
The duo, who have maintained a close friendship from an early age, will now come face-to-face in classic fixtures next season and Neymar, who has pledged to beat his elder colleague.
“He is a nice guy, who is leaving. He is a friend who I really like, but he’s about to leave,” Neymar told Globo Esporte.
“It will be a little weird, but I will need to beat him. It will be the first time that I’ll have to beat someone I want to play with.”
