Neymar unleashed powerful shots from the edge of the box and exceeded his own expectations during 52 minutes of play in his first match for Santos since his return last week.
But the 33-year-old striker didn’t just impress on the pitch – he also took the opportunity to respond to his former Al-Hilal coach, Jorge Jesus, who had questioned his readiness to play.
Despite Neymar’s efforts, he couldn’t cap off his birthday with a win at Vila Belmiro Stadium.
Santos were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Botafogo Ribeirao Preto in the Sao Paulo state championship.
"I need more minutes, more matches. I am not 100%, but I didn’t expect to run as much as I did tonight,” Neymar, who is still recovering from ACL surgery, told reporters. "I will be much better three, four games from now.”
He replaced Gabriel Bontempo after the break and was immediately the center of attention. He became the most fouled player, with five challenges from opponents, in the second half. Neymar also took six shots on goal and made 22 passes, some as sharp as those from his prime.
Saudi club Al-Hilal terminated Neymar’s contract by mutual consent last week, six months early, after he played only seven matches since September 2023. The ACL injury sidelined him for a year until October.
Speaking after the match, Neymar said his performance was also a response to the negative comments from his former coach.
"I knew that I was going to show something different on the pitch,” Neymar told Brazilian channel CazeTV at Vila Belmiro. "The pitch is the only place where I can defend myself from that criticism, those comments.”
"I said (at Al-Hilal) that I was ready to play. Not for 90 minutes, I had a super serious injury and then I had another injury,” he added. "I need fans to have some patience.”
Neymar has signed a six-month contract with Santos, which he said could be extended.
Santos opened the scoring before 20,000 fans when Tiquinho Soares converted a penalty in the 38th minute. Alexandre Jesus equalized with a header in the 67th.
Santos wasted several scoring opportunities, including two clear chances after Neymar passes. When the final whistle blew, players from the visiting team rushed to take pictures with the star.
"I left here at age 21, traveled the world, and made history at the clubs I played for," Neymar said. "This (taking pictures with rivals) is the respect I get back home.”
Neymar played 225 matches for Santos in his first spell. He scored 138 goals, many of them key to winning six titles at the club, which was relegated in 2023 and returned to the top division last year.
As promised, Neymar did not wear the No. 11 shirt that was his during his first spell from 2009-13; he wore Pele’s No. 10.
Neymar was the most expensive player in football history when he transferred from Barcelona to PSG for 222 million euros (then $262 million) in 2017.
He was sold to Al-Hilal in 2023 for 90 million euros ($94 million).
