Neymar has travelled to Brazil as he edges ever closer to a highly-anticipated return to boyhood club Santos.
It was at Santos where Neymar first captivated footballing audiences, bursting onto the scene as the next superstar to arise from Brazilian shores.
After helping guide the club to a Copa Libertadores title in 2011, he departed Santos in 2013 to pursue a career at Barcelona and over the summer spoke of his desire to return one day.
That day has arrived at long last after Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal terminated his £130million-per-year contract – after he played just seven games due to an ACL injury, scoring one goal.
The 32-year-old has agreed to a six-month contract with Santos, aiming to rejuvenate his career and secure a spot in Brazil’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
As his emotional return nears completion, Neymar has now shared images of him and his entourage on his private jet bound for Brazil.
Neymar took to social media to share him and his entourage on his private jet bound for Brazil
He posted a number of Instagram stories, captioning one: ‘After 12 years we are back brother.’
Neymar began his professional career with Santos in 2009 and was instrumental in helping them to a Copa Libertadores triumph in 2011, crucially scoring in the second leg of the final
He posted a number of Instagram stories documenting his journey, captioning one: ‘After 12 years we are back brother.’
Santos are one of Brazil’s grandest clubs having won eight national titles, 22 regional leagues in Sao Paulo, and three Copa Libertadores crowns – the South American equivalent of the Champions League.
Brazilian greats such as Pele, Carlos Alberto, Coutinho, Zito and many more have graced the Vila Belmiro down the years, and in their 1960s heyday they regularly trounced elite European opposition on global tours.
They have fallen on harder times in recent years, suffering relegation to the second tier in 2023, but bounced back last year as Serie B champions at the first time of asking.
Neymar has similarly endured hardship of late, with his PSG departure in the summer of 2023 proving ill-fated.
He may be Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer, but the past few years of his career have been littered with varying degrees of injury and not the same success he enjoyed during his Barcelona prime.
Fitness woes were no more prevalent than during his disastrous stint in Saudi Arabia, with an ACL injury early into his £77.6 million move to Al-Hilal limiting the Brazilian legend to only managed 428 minutes of action across 18 months.
After he and the Saudi giants opted to part ways, Neymar has agreed to take a staggering pay cut tp return to his homeland and will now earn a base salary £135,507 (R$1 million) per month, complemented by the retention of up to 90 per cent of his image rights.
Neymar managed just 428 minutes of action at Al-Hilal in seven matches, scoring only once
Neymar remains a household name thanks to his exploits alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez during the trio’s time at Barcelona, winning the Champions League and two LaLiga titles
His move to Santos is all but a done deal, with the Brazilian giants said to have been preparing his homecoming presentation for days now.
‘It is the time (to come back), Neymar. It is time for you to come back to your people. To our home, to the club in our hearts,’ Santos president Marcelo Teixeira said in a video on his social media channels on Tuesday.
‘Welcome, our boy Ney! A boy of Vila (Belmiro, Santos’ stadium). Come back to be happy again with the white and black shirt. The Santos nation awaits you with open arms.’
While he has struggled for consistency in Saudi Arabia, Neymar remains a household name thanks to his exploits alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez from the trio’s time together at Barcelona.
In that time, he was part of sides that won the UEFA Champions League in 2015, as well as two LaLiga titles, and three Copa del Reys.
He later moved to PSG in 2017, where he won five Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de Frances and two Coupe de la Ligues.
The forward was also part of the Brazil side that won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, which took place in Rio de Janeiro.
