Neymar reveals how he feels at Santos after scoring first goal in 16-months
Neymar says Santos are helping him “rediscover joy” after returning to his boyhood club on a short-term contract.
The 33-year-old ended a 16-month goal drought by calmly scoring from the penalty spot in Santos’ 3-1 win against Agua Santa on Sunday.
“I’m happy to be playing again. I feel I’m improving,” Neymar said after his return to Santos. His contract with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal was terminated by mutual consent after an injury-plagued spell with the club.
He added, “Obviously, I’m not 100% physically yet, it’s only my fourth game, but I’m getting better and better. I was anxious to score and wanted to dedicate this goal to the fans and my family.”
Al-Hilal had paid £77.6m to sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023, but a knee injury limited him to just seven appearances.
Neymar made his senior debut for Santos aged 17 in 2009, scoring 136 goals and providing 64 assists in 225 matches before moving to Barcelona in 2013 for £48.6m. He won eight trophies with Barcelona, including the Champions League and two La Liga titles. He then joined PSG in 2017 for a world-record fee of £200m, picking up 13 more trophies before his move to Saudi Arabia.
He also became Brazil’s all-time leading male goalscorer with 78 goals but hasn’t played for his country since his knee injury in October 2023.
Neymar said he had been “wishing for this moment to come true for a long time” when announcing his return to Santos, where he signed until 30 June.
“We’re helping each other, Santos are helping me, they’ve opened doors for me to rediscover football, to rediscover joy,” he explained.
“I didn’t want to sign a long contract because I wasn’t sure how I would come back or how I would feel. Let’s enjoy these moments, it’s the start of a great era for Santos.”
