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Sao Paulo, Brazil (AFP) – Neymar introduced Thursday he was returning to Brazilian membership Santos, the place he began his profession, after ending his injury-plagued spell with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.
“I’ll signal a contract with Santos Futebol Clube,” Neymar wrote on social media in a publish accompanied by pictures of his previous with the Sao Paulo-based crew, the place soccer icon Pele spent most of his profession.
“My emotions for the membership and followers have by no means modified.”
Santos’ X account replied to Neymar’s publish, saying: “Your private home awaits you. Your individuals await you.”
Neymar will probably be introduced to followers in a ceremony on the membership’s Estadio Urbano Caldeira, that includes live shows by a number of native music stars, on Friday.
The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain ahead performed simply seven instances for Al Hilal regardless of a reported wage of round $104 million a yr.
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time high scorer, joined Al Hilal in August 2023, following fellow superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the Gulf.
However two months after his arrival in Riyadh, he ruptured a cruciate ligament in his left knee whereas enjoying for Brazil in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, which saved him on the sidelines for a yr.
He then suffered a collection of hamstring and knee accidents as he tried to return to motion.
The membership’s coach Jorge Jesus mentioned just lately: “He can not play on the degree we’re used to. Issues have turn into tough for him, sadly.”
Neymar’s return to Brazil is probably going the final likelihood of his faltering profession.
Neymar has scored 79 objectives in 128 matches for his nation.
Neymar had been courted by MLS groups in the USA however has chosen to return house with the aim of incomes choice for the Brazil squad for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, the USA and Canada.
“Now I have to play once more,” mentioned Neymar. “And solely a membership like Santos can present the love I would like to arrange for the approaching challenges of the following years.”
He faces an enormous problem at Santos, who solely returned to the elite division in 2024 after a yr within the second tier.
Neymar will face a busy schedule punctuated by lengthy flights throughout Brazil, with the Sao Paulo State match, the Brazilian Cup and the nationwide championship which begins on the finish of March on this system.
The presence of such an enormous identify will entice large curiosity from Santos followers, however Neymar’s finest days are nearly definitely behind him.
– Pele’s inheritor –
Firstly of his profession he was solid because the inheritor to Pele.
After scoring 136 objectives in 225 appearances for Santos, he joined Barcelona in 2013, changing into the younger star of a crew that additionally featured Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, which swept to the Champions League title in 2015 by beating Juventus 3-1 within the closing in Berlin.
In 2014 his participation within the World Cup in Brazil was lower brief by damage within the quarter-finals and Brazil crashed out after a humiliating 7-1 defeat by Germany within the semi-finals.
Neymar gained some redemption in 2016 when he scored the successful penalty in a shootout as Brazil gained the boys’s soccer gold medal on the Rio Olympics.
In 2017, Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain prised him away from Barcelona with what continues to be a world-record switch payment of 220 million euros ($230 million).
He gained 5 Ligue 1 titles and he and prolific French ahead Kylian Mbappe led PSG to the ultimate of the Champions League within the Covid-blighted 2019-2020 season, however they misplaced to Bayern Munich.
PSG reunited Neymar with Messi within the French capital, however the trio with Mbappe did not gel as private rivalries received in the way in which and he was pushed to the exit, and to Saudi Arabia, by the Parisian administration in 2023.
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