- Neymar made his first appearance for Santos after returning to club last week
- He has signed a short-term contract 12 years after first leaving for Barcelona
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Neymar was made to settle for a draw in his first match in 12 years for Santos but the Brazilian was nevertheless overjoyed to have turned out for his boyhood club once more.
The 33-year-old made an emotional return to the Brazilian giants last week after his £130-million-per-year contract with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal was mutually terminated.
Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, Neymar made his debut for Santos in 2009 and won the Copa Libertadores in 2011 after scoring in the final. During his four-year spell, he made 225 appearances across all competitions, scoring an impressive 136 goals and registering 64 assists.
Having struggled with injuries in Saudi Arabia, Neymar came on in the second half of Santos’ 1-1 draw with Botafogo and the forward showed some signs of rust after taking the field.
He even had the misfortune of taking the ball straight into his groin just seconds after his introduction. But even that couldn’t dampen his spirits.
‘I love Santos,’ said Neymar. ‘I have no words to describe what I felt tonight when I stepped again on this pitch.
Neymar showed signs of rust on his first appearance for Santos since returning to his boyhood club
The Brazilian suffered the misfortune of taking the ball to the groin just seconds after coming onto the pitch
‘I need minutes, games. I’m not at 100 per cent. I didn’t expect to run and dribble so much tonight. I think I’ll feel better in four or five games.’
During his time away from Santos, Neymar became one of the most recognisable faces in the sport, staring for Barcelona before completing a world record transfer to PSG in 2017.
After his Paris exit, Neymar lasted just 18 months with Al-Hilal. He sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament just two months after arriving, with his injury woes limiting him to just seven appearances and one goal.
He returns to Santos side that suffered relegation to the second tier for the first time in the club’s 111-year history in 2023. The team secured an immediate return to the top flight a year later.
Neymar has inherited Pele’s iconic No 10 shirt for his second stint at the club.
During an emotional unveiling ceremony in front of around 20,000 supporters packed into Vila Belmiro Stadium, he said: ‘I am very happy. We lived great moments here. There’s still a lot that could come.
Supporters then chanted that they wanted to watch him dribble again, to which he responded: ‘I will not lack boldness [to dribble].’
Visibly taken aback by the occasion, Neymar was unable to hold back the tears after kissing the badge, and he then proceeded to blow kisses.
Before the event, he had greeted his future team-mates and club executives at the training ground. It is said several prominent figures were even moved to tears.
