After an uncertain spell at Al Hilal, Neymar chose to make his long-awaited return to Santos, where he has quickly found his rhythm. His seamless adaptation to the Brazilian side has seen him surpass the numbers he posted during his time at Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.
Neymar’s stint at Al Hilal was largely impacted by an ACL injury suffered while playing for Brazil, which sidelined him for over a year. Following his recovery, the Brazilian forward played just two more games before sustaining another muscle injury, which ultimately led to his departure from Saudi Arabia.
Since his re-debut on February 5, Neymar has already outperformed his goal contributions at Al Hilal. As of February 23, in just 19 days, the winger has appeared in six matches for Santos, scoring twice and assisting three times, totaling five goal contributions along with two MVP awards.
During his one-and-a-half-year tenure at Al Hilal, Neymar played seven games, scoring only once—against Nassaji Mazandaran in the AFC Champions League—and registering two assists, one against Al Shabab and another against Al Riyadh, amounting to just three goal contributions in Saudi Arabia.
Neymar’s resurgence at Santos isn’t just due to the team around him, but also his personal perspective, as he thrives in an environment where he feels happy. “My greatest joy is playing soccer,” Neymar wrote on social media after his recent game against Inter de Limeira, where he scored his first Olympic goal, further demonstrating his growing confidence.
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Video: Neymar scores stunning first Olympic goal for Santos in Campeonato Paulista
Neymar explains his Olympic goal
In the Campeonato Paulista match against Inter de Limeira, Neymar not only provided a brace of assists but also scored his first Olympic goal. After the game, the Santos star shared the moment he decided to go for the goal and make history.
“I went to take the corner, and they provoked me. I asked them to sing louder, and then I gave my first assist. After that, they kept going, and I said, ‘Well, I’m the one who’s going to score the goal’, so I nailed it and managed to score my first Olympic goal of my career,” Neymar explained in the post-match interview.
