The Brazil international has finally regained full fitness at Vila Belmiro, but the atmosphere has become toxic as the threat of relegation looms
Neymar's first five months back at his hometown club, Santos, did not match up to the glitzy second presentation that marked his decision to remain with the club for the remainder of the year.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain superstar was restricted to just 15 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood side as he struggled to shake off the injury problems that completely ruined his time at previous club Al-Hilal, and a modest return of three goals and three assists was not enough to justify his base salary of €163,000 per month, let alone the 90 per cent share of every product or marketing action around him that the Brazilian was also entitled to.
However, the huge spike in commercial revenue and social media numbers that Neymar's return generated outweighed his mediocre contribution on the pitch, and on June 24, Santos extended his contract through to the end of the 2025 season. That deal includes an option for the 33-year-old to stay in Sao Paulo until the 2026 World Cup in North America, where he is still hoping to turn out for the Brazil national team.
"I made a decision and I listened to my heart," Neymar said after penning fresh terms. "Santos is not just my team, it's my home, my roots, my history, and my life. Here I can be myself, truly happy. And this is where I want to fulfil the dreams that are still missing in my career. And nothing will stop me."
Since then, Neymar has played a full 90 minutes in seven consecutive games, his best run in three years, but happiness has been in short supply. Santos have been dragged into a relegation dogfight despite the Brazilian's physical progress, and with the fans now turning on the team, his dream homecoming has become a nightmare that doesn't look likely to end anytime soon.
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One step forward, two steps back
It hasn't been bad for Neymar. Indeed, his first game back for Santos after the Club World Cup-enforced break could hardly have gone better, as he scored a brilliant late winner against Flamengo, ghosting past two players and firing into the net after initially picking the ball up with his back to goal.
That 1-0 victory against the team sitting second in the Brasilerao table should have been a springboard to greater things, but the celebratory mood around Vila Belmiro lasted only two days as Santos came crashing back down to earth with a 3-0 defeat away at Mirassol.
Neymar could not hold in his frustration when speaking to the media after the game: "Everything was missing, that's why the score was 3-0. We didn't even play half the game we did against Flamengo in marking. In the game against Flamengo, they were superior in possession, and today Mirassol was the same; they were superior in every aspect."
Neymar's assessment was accurate, but he failed to acknowledge his own poor display directly. The Santos captain didn't muster a shot on target or attempt a single dribble, and he lost possession 17 times. That is simply not good enough for a player of Neymar's experience and stature.
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'Mercenary'
Santos then welcomed mid-table Internacional to Vila Belmiro, knowing a defeat would leave them in the relegation places. However, that didn't spark extra urgency from Cleber Xavier's side, who fell behind after just nine minutes when Johan Carbonero ghosted in behind the last defender and rounded the goalkeeper before tapping home.
Neymar led Santos' comeback attempt as he racked up five shots and 88 touches, but Internacional doubled their lead via a Rafael Santos Borre penalty in the 75th minute. The hosts ended up falling to a 2-1 loss, with Alvaro Borreal's stoppage-time goal proving to be nothing more than a consolation, and the finger of blame was pointed at Neymar.
Facing a barrage of X-rated insults on his way back to the changing room, Neymar stopped to tell one supporter to "shut up", and the two men became embroiled in a heated argument before Santos 'keeper Gabriel Brazao ushered his team-mate away. The fan in question later apologised to Neymar on social media and admitted to using "bad language", but the Brazilian forward was not in the mood to forgive and forget.
"In the heat of emotion, it’s hard to control your feelings when you’ve been unfairly offended and I’ll never argue with a fan when he’s demanding me on the pitch," Neymar said in an emotional Instagram post. "He has the right to say whether I’ve played badly or not, and he has the right to boo. What he can’t do is offend me, the way he offended me. Saying that I’m a mercenary with my father, talking about my family/friends. Santos football club is one of my greatest passions and as long as I have the strength, I will do my best for this club. I will run, shout, and even fight if possible to get Santos where it deserves to be."
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Turning it on
Neymar stayed true to his word in Santos' next two games as he provided the creative inspiration for thePeixe to first salvage a 2-2 draw away at Sport Recife despite going two goals down and having a man sent off, before producing a Player-of-the-Match-worthy display in their subsequent clash with Juventude.
The Brazil international scored twice as Santos picked up a vital 3-1 victory in front of a packed Vila Belmiro crowd. Neymar took his goals well, but more importantly, he ran proceedings in the same way he once did at his peak with Barca and PSG, bamboozling the opposition with his skilful flurries and masterful passing.
Carlo Ancelotti sent three members of his Brazil backroom staff to watch the match, and they will have no doubt been delighted to see Neymar back to somewhere approaching his best. The last of his 128 national team caps came way back in October 2023, but there's a real chance he could be recalled for the Selecao's next set of World Cup qualifiers in September.
"Everyone knows my style of football. I'm available, regardless of anything. I'm an athlete, I still feel good, so it depends entirely on him [Ancelotti]," Neymar told reporters after the final whistle. "Happy to play a good game, to win again, which is the most important thing. And I think our team has to keep improving from here."
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Vasco humiliation
Santos continued their mini-revival by beating title-chasing Cruzeiro 2-1 in their own backyard, with Neymar impressing once again as the focal point of the attack, even going viral for one sublime dummy that left his marker on the floor. For a brief moment, everything was looking rosy again as Santos moved up to 14th, five points above the drop zone, with a favourable home fixture against 17th-placed Vasco da Gama up next.Â
Vasco had gone five matches without a win, and the confidence levels in the Santos camp were at their highest point since their promotion back into the Brazilian top-flight last term. But that dynamic led to the most deadly virus of all creeping into Xavier's dressing room: Complacency.
Santos were battered 6-0 in their heaviest defeat to Vasco in 98 years, and the biggest of their entire history in the Brazilian Serie A. It was also the heaviest loss of Neymar's career to date as he was completely upstaged by former Brazil team-mate Philippe Coutinho, who scored a stunning brace and tied the Santos defence in knots from the first minute to the last.
Neymar broke down in floods of tears after the referee blew to put Santos out of their misery. The first to console him was ex-Brazil manager Fernando Diniz, now in charge of Vasco, and it was genuinely moving to see the pair lock in a long embrace, mainly because of how far Neymar has fallen since their first meeting in 2023.