Chapecoense defender Neto, a survivor of the club's tragic plane crash in 2016 that claimed the lives of 71 people, has announced his retirement.
The 34-year-old revealed his decision to step away from football comes as a result of constant pain - despite his attempts to return to regularly playing after two years spent in recovery.
Neto was the final survivor to be pulled from the wreckage of the air crash and had been fighting for his life for two weeks in hospital in Colombia.
The veteran defender is expected to remain at the club in a different capacity, however, with Chapecoense believed to be keen on ensuring Neto continues to have a direct role with the team.
Neto had previously expressed his desire to remain with the outfit, and a potential future role had even been discussed before tragedy struck.
'My body couldn't take it anymore. The pains were greater than the pleasure,' Neto revealed to Globo Esporte. 'I talked to the doctors and soon there will be an official statement from the club. Apparently there was no pain in my daily life, but in high-level training the body could not stand the knee and back pain, which saddened me most in the end and took me off the field.
'It was already in line with the doctors and the club. I wanted to say goodbye, a game, but I chose not to. I was invited to join the last minute against CSA, but I did not choose not to. Of course I have a fondness for the fans and it would be a gift to the fans, but life is a gift. I had a great intention of being on the field for a minute or 10, whatever.'
After nine hours of travel back to Chapeco following his release from hospital, Neto had been warmly greeted with banners and chants of 'the champion is back'.
And his return to training after lengthy recovery was an emotional affair - with the star playfully being hit with shirts by his teammates.
The defender has participated in a charity game to raise money for the relatives of victims of the plane crash, and had been assured by Chapecoense that there were no deadlines to mark his return to first-team action.