Neymar has returned to Santos, his boyhood club in Brazil, and it is proving to be exactly as romantic a transfer as football fans would have wanted.
On his return debut, Neymar played the second half at his home; the Vila Belmiro stadium. One particular moment on the ball might have been too good to be true. He picked the ball up on the edge of the box, cut inside, and dazzled in front of the defenders as he crossed the face of the box. He then unleashed a powerful left-footed drive back across goal.
The attempt was saved and even the goalkeeper might have felt guilty about that. The ultimate moment of romance was denied, but if this is a taste of what’s to come, then Santos are in for plenty more memorable moment with their favourite son since the late, great Pelé.
“I have no words to describe what I felt tonight” beamed Neymar after the match. The attacker looked at home in the white kit of Santos. “I need minutes, I’m not 100% and I didn’t think I would be running or dribbling so much tonight,” he continued. Neymar’s return has been a rapid one for sure. Barely a week in training and he is back on the pitch and playing half of the game, not just making an initial cameo appearance for the last 10 minutes.
Santos fans probably got more than they bargained for in this match, but it’s true that Neymar has to manage his minutes with such a fragile injury history as of late. Speaking of fans, Santos are now considering moving some of their remaining home state league games to the capital of São Paulo. This shows the impact the arrival of Neymar as the club look to fill arenas twice as big as their own. The presence of the attacking midfielder is drawing fans from Brazil and beyond.
Injury Woe Concerns
Famously, the Brazilian earned over $100 million whilst playing for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia last year, and yet because of an ACL injury and then a hamstring problem upon his return to the field, Neymar didn’t even complete 45 minutes of football in the whole of 2024.
With that in mind, the enthusiasm of Brazilian soccer fans must be met with caution and clever game management for its star player. The anti-climax of an injury riddled Santos return would be a painful one for supporters, and even the neutral is backing Neymar to shine for his first club.
Before his first game back against Botafogo of São Paulo, the city of Santos had filled up with Neymar flags, banners and jerseys celebrating his return. After the game Neymar had to stay on the pitch to get a photo with almost every player from the opposition team that he had just faced, so Neymar-mania is definitely in full flow. Next up for Santos in the São Paulo state league is a visit to Novorizontino, before a glamour tie in the state capital against a Memphis Depay led Corinthians.
The Sky Is The Limit For Neymar
The cultural impact of this move will only grow if Neymar can stay fit and be successful on the pitch, as fans of clubs all over the country are already cheering on his return and asking that he also makes a comeback with the Brazilian national team. Lionel Messi isn’t the only man aiming for a final World Cup in 2026 it seems.
Neymar is open to a return to ‘Seleção’ and Santos want to have him in their team for the next 18 months leading up to the biggest tournament there is. Imagine the scenes if Neymar could make it to the tournament and win something with Santos in the meantime. The city would explode in celebration.
Neymar’s current contract is for six months only. This is probably for financial reasons on part of the club, but also because of Neymar’s recent problem with injuries. If the next months are anything like 2024 in terms of the players fitness then this dream run to the World Cup will probably be cut very short. Having said that, if Neymar is injury-free then there is clearly intention from both sides to continue his stay.
This is the move Santos’ fans have been dreaming of, and it’s the sort of romantic transfer that football fans globally will be keeping an eye on, urging Neymar on to recreate some of the incredible moments of the past in his first spell with the club. With that, it will attract millions more eyes to Brazilian football and is a big boost for the league, and for South American football, in general.