Neymar's second spell at Santos has, for the most part, been a disappointment. The injury problems that have plagued the Brazilian's career followed him back home, and as a result, he has been unable to build up any proper rhythm. He only featured in 20 of Santos' 38 Serie A games in the 2025 season, scoring eight goals, and is still waiting for a recall to the Brazil national team squad after a two-year absence.
At the age of 33, there's no doubt that Neymar's best years are behind him. It's not clear where he will be playing his football in 2026 yet either, because Santos have yet to tie him to a contract extension. But if that is the case, he signed off in style. Santos only avoided immediate relegation back to Brazil's second tier after wrapping up their campaign with three victories, and Neymar's contribution was huge, playing through the pain barrier to save his boyhood club when they needed him most.
"I think a seven is a good grade," Neymar told reporters when asked to rate his year out of 10 after Santos' final-day victory over Cruzeiro. "On the field, everyone knows I can protect myself somehow, but things don't go as we want for many reasons. Now it's time to reset my mind, forget about football for about 10 days, because I need that. I need a complete reset."
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star added: "Then it's total focus on the last mission, which is the World Cup. That's our focus. God willing, everything will be alright. I'm always ready. It's not up to me."
The popular narrative around Neymar is that he never reached his full potential, which is undeniably true given how much time he has spent in the treatment room down the years. But he deserves more respect as a true legend of the modern game. His heroics at Vila Belmiro will hopefully help alter the public perception. They should not, however, lead to a romantic swansong at the 2026 World Cup.
A barely half-fit Neymar may have been a help to Santos, but he'd only be a hindrance to Carlo Ancelotti, who cannot afford to be sentimental when he picks his Brazil squad for the finals.
Neymar's final years at PSG and his entire stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal were completely overshadowed by injuries. Al-Hilal eventually terminated the enigmatic forward's contract after 18 months, and he subsequently re-joined Santos on an initial six-month contract in what was billed as a glorious homecoming. The fact was, however, that he had no other options.
Santos quickly learned that keeping Neymar on the pitch for any significant length of time would be a huge challenge. Indeed, he missed seven of their first nine league games of 2025 with a hamstring problem. His 100th home appearance for the club against Atletico Mineiro only lasted 34 minutes, too, as he was taken off the pitch in tears by a buggy after exacerbating the issue.
When he did play, there was the odd audacious piece of skill or killer through-ball, but he struggled to beat defenders and spent far too much time walking around aimlessly. He was also sent off for a blatant 'Hand of God' attempt in a 1-0 defeat to Botafogo, which came just before the Club World Cup-enforced break in the season and seemed to spell the end for his time at the club.
But Santos were not ready to give up on their prized academy jewel. On June 24, Neymar signed a renewal through to the end of the campaign to "fulfil the dreams that are missing in my career" and vowed "nothing will stop me". Initially, they proved to be empty words.
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Clashes with fans and team-mates
When the Brazilian top-flight resumed, Neymar played seven games in a row, his best run in three years, and scored three goals, including a brilliant brace in a 3-1 win over Juventude. But that Player-of-the-Match display was an anomaly.
Neymar clashed with supporters after damaging home losses to Internacional and Vasco da Gama, the second of which left the club just two points above the drop zone and in deep crisis. Inspired by Neymar's old Brazil team-mate Philippe Coutinho, Vasco ran out 6-0 winners to hand Santos the worst league defeat of their entire history, and frustrated fans marched to protest at the training ground.
Then, in mid-September, Neymar damaged the rectus femoris muscle in his right thigh, and did not recover until early November. Another low point followed upon his return to the starting line up, as Santos were beaten 3-2 at Flamengo. With his side 2-0 down after 66 minutes, Neymar ran back to take a short goal-kick, instructing his team-mates to be more patient in their build-up play, only for centre-back Luan Peres to instantly hoof the ball upfield. It was another humiliating moment for Neymar that confirmed he had not yet earned the full respect of everyone in the dressing room.
He scored his first goal since August two weeks later as Santos played out a 1-1 draw with high-flying Mirassol, but there was no cause for celebration. He was also guilty of giving away the penalty that led to the home team's equaliser, and it was revealed after the game that he had suffered an injury to the meniscus in his left knee, the same one he tore alongside his anterior cruciate ligament during his last appearance for Brazil back in October 2023.
Hat-trick on one leg
Neymar sat out Santos' next fixture against Internacional and was not expected to play again this season. Club doctors advised him to stop playing immediately and undergo surgery, while revealed that any "major impact" could cause his knee to "burst".
But when Santos played host to Sport Recife in a massive relegation six-pointer on November 29, Neymar was named in the starting XI. He proceeded to open the scoring with a trademark finish in the 25th minute, and provided the assist for Joao Schmidt to wrap up a 3-0 victory in the second half.
"Physically I've been doing well, I'm feeling better and better, obviously with this injury now it's sad, it's annoying, but it's nothing that will stop me from doing something, that's why I keep playing," Neymar said when quizzed on his condition. "Now it's time to think about Santos and where Santos deserves to be."
There was only a four-day turnaround before Santos' next outing away at Juventude, but Neymar started again, and that passion continued to shine through. He scored all three goals in another thumping 3-0 win, registering his first hat-trick since starring for PSG in a Ligue 1 clash with Clermont in April 2022.
Santos boss Juan Pablo Vojvoda hailed Neymar for putting on a "very good show", but that was an understatement; it was right up there with his most magical performances ever, and he did it on one fully functioning leg.
"I've always been Neymar, regardless of anything," he said to in a clear message to his critics after the game. "I've never stopped trying to show my best."
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'Christ the redeemer of Santos'
Santos still needed a win on matchday 38 to be sure of safety, but showed no sign of nerves when third-placed Cruzeiro arrived at Vila Belmiro. Vojvoda's side scored three goals without reply for the third consecutive match to finish 12th in the table, and there were wild scenes of celebration among the relieved players, staff, and fans after the final whistle.
Neymar didn't get on the scoresheet, but he was dubbed "Christ the Redeemer of Santos" by Spanish outlet after another standout performance that saw him post three key passes and a 90 per cent dribble completion rate. The whole stadium chanted his name in recognition of his super-human late-season efforts. "I confess that at the limit, it was with grit… But it was for you SANTOS!" the Brazilian later wrote on X.
He also confirmed that he will go under the knife for what is classed as minor surgery to fix his latest knee injury, before deciding on his future. Should his recovery run smoothly, there's a good chance Neymar will sign another six-month extension, with the 2026 season in Brazil due to start two months earlier than usual in January.
"We've already looked each other in the eye and agreed to schedule a meeting this week to calmly define this situation," Santos president Marcelo Teixeira has confirmed. "Alexandre Mattos and the medical department will detail when they will carry out the procedure with the athlete. We want Neymar to stay. We will adapt the contractual issues and our expectation is that Neymar will remain at Santos until the 2026 World Cup."