Neymar has suggested that the move to Santos was a “rescue” for him and said that he hopes to regain his confidence at the Brazilian side.
The 32-year-old sealed his return to his boyhood club in style after being unveiled in front of 20,000 fans at the Vila Belmiro stadium on Friday night.
The move brought an end to Neymar’s forgettable 18 month stint at Al Hilal, with injuries restricting him to just seven appearances and one goal.
Just a few months on from joining Al Hilal in the summer of 2023, the forward suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while on international duty with Brazil in October 2023.
It kept him sidelined for over a year and two games into his return, he picked up a hamstring injury against Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League Elite in November 2024. It turned out to be his last game for the club.
While admitting that his family and him were happy in Saudi Arabia, he spoke of wanting to rediscover his joy for the game with Santos.
“It’s a rescue for me, of happiness, of soccer. It’s been a long time since I’ve played, since I’ve done the thing I love most in the world, which is playing soccer,” Neymar told a news conference on Friday.
“So today it’s more of a rescue for me, I’m seeing it in a personal sense. I’m happy that everyone is saying that it’s a rescue of Brazilian soccer, I’m happy for the affection, not just from the Santos fans, but from fans of other teams, who cheer for me. I’m very happy to be back. I need to regain my confidence to play, my happiness which is to be on the pitch. That’s what I came looking for.”
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, who will wear Pele’s iconic No. 10 jersey for Santos, also spoke of his ambition to return to the Brazil national team.
Since the Seleção‘s quarterfinal exit from the 2022 World Cup, Neymar has made just four appearances for Brazil. The last of his 128 caps came in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023, the fateful game in which he injured his ACL.
“Obviously, the Brazilian national team is something I want to return to. I have something to achieve, I have a mission that I think is my last and I’m going to go after it in any way I can. So I have targets and objectives to pursue,” he said.
Information from ESPN Brasil contributed to this report.
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