Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Neymar last played for Santos in 2013
Sam Harris
BBC Sport Journalist
Neymar’s return to his boyhood club, Santos, is complete.
One of Brazil’s greatest footballing exports, and still the world’s most expensive player, has signed a six-month contract that brings him back to Vila Belmiro.
The 32-year-old’s homecoming follows the termination of his contract with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal on 27 January, closing the chapter on an injury-plagued and ultimately unfulfilling stint in the Middle East.
“He was desperate to come back to Santos,” said BBC Sport’s Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
Santos were eager to bring Neymar back too. They reportedly used an AI-generated voice of club legend Pele, external in a video to persuade him to re-sign.
But what will Neymar really bring to Santos?
As Balague said: “Everyone knows where he is now with his relationship to football.”
The relationship has evolved throughout his career, earning Neymar a reputation as ‘the prince who never became king’.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Neymar is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances
‘The prince who never became king’
Search for that nickname on TikTok or YouTube and you will find a flood of compilations with videos of Neymar’s best moments.
These are not just highlight reels of goals – there are montages of dazzling dribbles, rainbow flicks, and nutmegs.
A celebration of ‘Joga Bonito’, the Brazilian ethos of ‘playing [football] beautifully’, Neymar’s game encapsulated the spirit of football as art.
Add to that the many hairstyles and the nose tape, his whole aesthetic has enhanced a football culture and lineage that some felt might break when his Brazil counterpart Ronaldinho faded from view.
By the time Neymar left Santos in 2013 for Barcelona, the then 21-year-old had scored 136 goals in 225 appearances, won the 2011 Puskas Award for a breathtaking goal against Flamengo and finished in the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or award in the same year.
Upon his move to Spain, Neymar was perceived by many as the heir apparent, the one who could finally step out of the shadows cast by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Neymar is still one of the most expensive departures in Santos history
“He’s a lovely person – childlike in many ways – but surrounded by good people, and he loved Barcelona,” Balague said.
Under the bright lights of the Nou Camp, Neymar shone in what many consider one of the greatest forward lines in football history.
In a front three with Messi and Luis Suarez, he helped to deliver two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys, and a Champions League trophy.
Operating from the left, Neymar occupied a role that allowed his brilliance and flair to flourish.
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