The enigmatic Brazilian is facing an uncertain future after failing to reignite his career at his boyhood club
"Feels like I'm going back in time," Neymar said when confirming his return to Santos at the end of January. "It's been nearly 12 years since I left for the most famous club in the world and it seems like yesterday. My feelings for the club and fans have never changed."
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star added: "Now I need to play again. And only a club like Santos can provide the love I need to prepare for the coming challenges in the next few years." They were heartfelt words, but the truth is: Neymar had nowhere else to go after mutually terminating his contract at Al-Hilal.
Injuries overshadowed the end of Neymar's career at PSG, and the Brazilian's physical condition deteriorated further in Saudi Arabia, as he managed just seven appearances for Al-Hilal across one-and-a-half seasons. Santos threw Neymar a lifeline after he'd reached his lowest ebb, a final chance to show his critics that he still has something to offer at the top level.
Naturally, the red carpet was rolled out at Vila Belmiro, with thousands of fans turning out to welcome back their 'prince' at a lavish ceremony featuring local singers and an extravagant fireworks display. Neymar was also bestowed with Pele's iconic No.10 shirt, which he described as an "honour", before telling the crowd: "I am very happy. We lived great moments here. There's still a lot that could come. I will not lack boldness."
He has certainly lived up to that final proclamation, but in truth Neymar hasn't been on the pitch for long enough to make any meaningful impact for Santos so far this season. Winding back the clock has proven to be an impossible task for the 33-year-old, and it's unclear what comes next as he prepares to drop into the free agency pool.
Getty Images SportUnderwhelming start
Neymar made his highly-anticipated second debut for Santos on his 33rd birthday, stepping off the bench at the start of the second half in a Campeonato Paulista match against Botafogo that his team were leading 1-0. Santos would eventually be held to a 1-1 draw, but Neymar showed plenty of his trademark flair, and even came close to marking the occasion with a sublime solo goal after tip-toeing his way through the Botafogo defence.
"I need minutes, I'm not at 100 percent," he said amid clear signs of rust. "I didn't expect to run and dribble so much tonight. I think I'll feel better in four or five games."
Neymar got what he wanted as he was handed his first start against Novorizontino in Santos' next Paulista outing, but struggled to keep up with the pace of the contest. Across his 75 minutes on the pitch, the veteran forward completed only one dribble and ceded possession 24 times, while also failing to muster a shot on target as Santos played out a 0-0 stalemate.
AdvertisementGettyReturn to form
A subsequent trip to arch-rivals Corinthians didn't spark Neymar back into life, either, as Santos suffered a 2-1 defeat, and he made headlines for his actions off the pitch rather than on it, complaining about the FIFA-approved match balls being used in the Paulista instead of taking any responsibility for the final result.
The moment Santos supporters had been waiting for finally arrived on February 16, though. Neymar scored his first goal since returning to the club in a 3-1 victory over Agua Santa, calmly converting a penalty after winning it himself following a brilliant slalom run into the box. He also provided the assist for Guilherme to round off the scoring and cap an impressive all-around display.
Suddenly, there was hope that Neymar's homecoming would be far more than just a publicity stunt. Santos also won their next three games, against Noroeste, Inter Limeira and Red Bull Bragantino, to reach the Paulista A1 semi-finals, and Neymar added another four goal contributions to his tally, including a stunning 'Olimpico' effort that left his manager in awe.
"Neymar is a football genius," then-Santos boss Pedro Caixinha said after the 3-0 romp away at Limeira. "Our responsibility is to help him grow, to make him feel confident, happy, that he wanted to play and make a difference."
At that stage, everything was running smoothly – but disaster is always just around the corner with Neymar.
Getty Images Sport'Can't fit into the heaviest shirt in the world'
Neymar wasn't able to finish Santos' 2-0 win over Bragantino after picking up a knock, but played down the severity of the issue on social media. "I'm fine, I felt some discomfort and I thought I'd better spare myself!" Neymar said on Instagram. "It's been a while since I played a game with this intensity… Super happy to be getting back in better shape!"
Dorival Junior bought into that claim, calling Neymar back into the Brazil squad for the first time since 2023 with a pair of crucial World Cup qualifying fixtures against Colombia and Argentina on the horizon. Dorival expressed his relief over Neymar finally being available again, admitting Brazil "were waiting for him", so what came next must have felt like a major slap in the face.
Neymar sat on the bench for the entirety of Santos' Paulista semi-final tie against Corinthians on March 9, which they lost 2-1, and then revealed that his hamstring injury was worse than initially feared. After talks with Dorival and the rest of the Brazil staff, the decision was taken not to risk him for international duty. "I can't fit into the heaviest shirt in the world right now!" he declared in an emotional message to his followers.
To make matters worse, questions were also raised over Neymar's activities outside of football, just as they had been so often at PSG. He was accused of not "taking football seriously" and neglecting to "give priority to his treatment" after being spotted partying at the Rio Carnival just a few days after sitting out the Corinthians game, and did not return to action until the middle of April.
Getty Images SportTearful century
After six weeks out, Neymar played the second half of Santos' 1-0 defeat to Fluminense. That extended the club's winless run at the start of their 2025 Brazilian Serie A campaign to three matches, and cost Caixinha his job, but Neymar was immediately restored to the starting line up as assistant coach Cesar Sampaio took the reins on an interim basis.
Unfortunately, the fleet-footed attacker only lasted 34 minutes in his 100th home appearance for Santos against Atletico Mineiro. A visibly emotional Neymar was taken off the field in a buggy holding his problematic left thigh area again, and it was reported that he would be forced onto the sidelines for at least another month.
Speculation over Neymar's future then started to rage. Santos had only re-signed him on a five-month contract, and stretched their resources to the limit to do so, reportedly giving the Brazil international a 90 percent share of every product or marketing action the club made around him, alongside a base salary of €163,000 per month.
Extending Neymar's stay would make no sense financially if his fitness troubles persisted, which Santos president Marcelo Teixeira alluded to in an interview with "There is no benefit to [Neymar’s injury]. There is a project, this work is independent of him playing. We really need to analyse and calculate the project, the continuity, the gains and the benefits of Neymar staying."
