Neymar stays at Santos! Peixe agreed to renew the contract with the 33-year-old attacking midfielder. The new contract is until the end of 2026.
The star, who returned to Vila Belmiro in January, had a contract until this Wednesday, December 31st. The board, however, had already been in talks with the player and his staff since the end of the Brazilian Championship, at the beginning of the month.
The club’s idea is to provide all the support possible so that Neymar can do well at the 2026 World Cup. The attacking midfielder has not yet been called up for Brazilian matches since Carlo Ancelotti took over as coach, but he hopes to be at the World Cup in June.
Neymar faced four injuries throughout the season, all with recovery periods of close to a month. In March, he had edema on his left thigh; in April, a bruise on the semimembranosus muscle, also on the left thigh; in September, he suffered an injury to the rectus femoris of his right thigh; and, in the final stretch of the Brasileirão, he suffered discomfort in the meniscus of his left knee.
Even with the meniscus injury, Neymar chose to play at sacrifice to help Santos in the fight against relegation — and he succeeded. In the last four rounds, he was decisive: he scored five goals, provided one assist and scored a hat-trick against Juventude.
The striker ended the season as Santos’ second top scorer, with 11 goals and four assists in 28 games, 23 of them as a starter.
His performance in the final stretch strengthened his dream of playing in the 2026 World Cup. Neymar once again demonstrated decision-making power and placed the final choice regarding his squad in the hands of coach Carlo Ancelotti. For the number 10, the World Cup stopped being just a wish and became a personal mission.
At the end of the year, Neymar underwent arthroscopy to treat the tear in his left meniscus, with a expected recovery of one month. He is currently undergoing physical therapy.
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Neymar’s numbers for Santos in 2025:
- Games: 28 (23 as a starter)
- Goals: 11
- Assists: 4
- Total completions: 75
- Target kicks: 32
- Decisive passes: 76
- Great chances created: 8
- Correct dribbles: 45
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