Neymar’s return to He rescued a feeling of hope and, at the same time, of nostalgia in the Fish fan, which still lives with the uncertainty about the direction of the team in this recent return to the elite of Brazilian football.
When the season began, and the alvinegro began the casting of the cast still under the command of Pedro Caixinha, Neymar’s name was not even speculated.
With the beginning of Paulistan, however, the signs that the dream could come true began to gain strength, especially when the fans sang in the stands of Vila Belmiro the singing for the return of the boy from the village home.
➡️
On January 31, came the official announcement: Neymar was back to Santos after 13 years. The reception was worthy of an idol. In the middle of the trapdoor, in heavy rain, the party had shows by Supla, Mc Bin Laden, Mano Brown and Projota – packed by hits that symbolize the identity of the Santos nation.
Days later came the long -awaited debut. On February 5, when he turned 33, Neymar entered the field at the break of the match, already as captain and wearing shirt 10 – a number that replaced the traditional 11. He acted for 45 minutes and was cheered by the village.
The prince of the village walked again on the Santos lawn after accumulating tickets for Barcelona (Spain), PSG (France) and Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia).
➡️
After packing a sequence of seven matches, Neymar suffered the first injury: a nuisance in the back of the left thigh, just after a good performance in the quarterfinals of Paulistan, against Red Bull Bragantino. In a social networking publication, he reassured the fans, explaining that the replacement had been just a precaution. Following, she enjoyed her time off at Rio de Janeiro Carnival.
However, days later, he was in the reserve bench in the classic against Corinthians, for the semifinal, in the neo Chemistry Arena, and saw the fish be eliminated after conceding goals from Yuri Alberto and Garro.
Shirt 10 only returned in the duel against Fluminense, for the third round of the Brazilian Championship. Already in the next match, against Atletico-MG-who had a special symbolic value for marking his 100th match in Vila Belmiro-, he felt a lesion again, again in the left of the left thigh, this time in the semimembranous muscle.
It was just over a month away from the lawns and returned in another delicate moment of the season: the elimination on penalties for the CRB, in the third phase of the Brazilian Cup. Soon after, he was left out of Carlo Ancelotti’s first call to the Brazilian team, aiming at the World Cup qualifiers.
During the break for the FIFA Club World Cup, Neymar took the opportunity to improve the physical form. He worked with his personal staff over the two weeks off the Santos cast. During this period, he renewed his contract with Santos, extending the bond until the end of the season.
Out of the field:
More than a star back to the origins, Neymar has played a key role in the reconstruction of Santos – on and off the pitch. Beside his father, who also took protagonism behind the scenes, shirt 10 became a symbol of a new age in the club that revealed him to the world.
In the cast, it is a technical, emotional and historical reference. It acts as a link between veterans and the boys of the village, helping to integrate the base with the main group.
He is also a kind of guardian of Robinho Jr., son of former player Robinho, whom he closely follows with love and extra attention. The boy has it as an idol; Neymar returns with guidance, advice and constant presence.
But the reconstruction goes beyond the four lines. Along with his father, Neymar attracted partners and investors to important structural projects.
The pair were responsible for reforming the locker room of Vila Belmiro and for the articulation to build a new training center for the grassroots categories and for the female team. Already the father of the athlete leads the ambitious design of a new CT and stadium for the professional cast, in Praia Grande, on the coast of São Paulo.
The impact of your return is also reflected in the numbers. Neymar boosted the partner-owner program, exploded the club’s social networking engagement and, of course, leveraged the sale of shirts. The turquoise edition, full of symbolism, broke sales records in the first quarter of the year, a direct reflection of the idolatry that transcends generations.
The family avoids public statements about the future of the prince of the village. Officially, there is no hurry to deal with a renewal beyond the current bond, which goes to the 2026 World Cup. Behind the scenes, but there is a silent certainty: Neymar found in Santos not only a club, but a refuge, a place where he feels loved, useful and, above all, happy.
Neymar games for Santos:
05.02-Santos 1 x 1 Botafogo-RP-Paulista Championship-45 minutes in the field
09.02 – Santos 0 x 0 Novorizontino – Paulista Championship – 75 minutes in the field
12.02 – Corinthians 1 x 2 Santos – Paulista Championship – 68 minutes in the field
16.02 – Santos 3 x 1 water Santa – Paulista Championship – 85 minutes in the field – 1 goal + 1 assistance
19.02 – Santos 3 x 0 Northwest – Paulista Championship – 69 minutes in the field
23.02 – Santos 3 x 0 Inter de Limeira – Paulista Championship – 90 minutes in the field – 1 goal + 2 assists
02.03 – Santos 2 x 0 Red Bull Bragantino – Wednesdays of the Paulista Championship – 76 minutes on the field – 1 goal
13.04 – Fluminense 1 x 0 Santos – Brazilian Championship – 45 minutes in the field
16.04-Santos 2 x 0 Atlético-MG-Brazilian Championship-34 minutes in the field
01.05 – Santos 0 x 0 CRB – Third phase of the Brazilian Cup
22.05 – Santos 0 (4 × 5) 0 CRB – Third phase of the Brazilian Cup – 66 minutes in the field
25.05 – Santos 1 x Vitória – Brazilian Championship – 64 minutes in the field
01.06 – Santos 0 x 1 Botafogo – Brazilian Championship – 76 minutes
16.07 – Santos 1 x 0 Flamengo – Brazilian Championship – 90 minutes – 1 goal
19.07 – Mirassol 3 x 0 Santos – Brazilian Championship – 90 minutes
23.07 – Santos 1 x 2 International – Brazilian Championship – 90 minutes
26.07 – Sport 2 x 2 Santos – Brazilian Championship – 90 minutes
04.08 – Santos 3 x 1 Youth – Brazilian Championship – 90 mnutos – 2 goals
*Friendly:
28.05 – Santos 1 x 3 RB Leipzig – Bragança Paulista – 45 minutes in the field
10.06 – Santos 3 x 1 Sports Railway – Espírito Santo – 45 minutes in the field – 1 goal
