Neymar has reflected on the influence Diego Maradona had on his career after meeting the late Argentine icon as a child — but his attempt to replicate Maradona’s infamous "Hand of God" goal backfired on Sunday, resulting in a red card in what could prove to be his final match for Santos.

With Santos and Botafogo deadlocked at 0-0 in the final 15 minutes of their Brazilian league encounter, Neymar flung himself at a rebound inside the penalty area and diverted the ball into the net using his hand.

The Brazilian forward was immediately surrounded by incensed Botafogo players before the referee issued him a second yellow card, bringing a premature end to his first start for the club since returning from injury last month.

To compound the disappointment, Botafogo went on to score with just four minutes remaining to clinch a 1-0 victory.

The 33-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star later offered an apology to his team-mates and supporters.

“I made a mistake, forgive me!” he wrote on social media.

“Today, if I hadn’t been sent off, I’m sure we would have secured the three points. You can put those three points down to me!”

Neymar rejoined his boyhood club Santos in January following a spell at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, with his contract at the Brazilian side set to expire on 30 June.

His dismissal means he will be suspended for Santos’s upcoming fixture against Fortaleza on Thursday, leaving him able to feature again only if he agrees to a contract extension before the league resumes in July following the FIFA Club World Cup.

Santos currently sit 18th in the Brazilian top flight, having lost seven of their 11 matches to date.