Neymar plays for 52 minutes on birthday in return from ACL injury
Neymar surprised himself after playing for 52 minutes for Santos against Botafogo in what was the Brazil star’s comeback from an ACL surgery with his old club.
Despite peppering the Botafogo goal with shots, Neymar did not score on his birthday as the Santos vs Botafogo game ended in a 1-1 draw. The Associated Press reported that once the final whle was blown in the Santos vs Botafogo game, players from the visiting team raced to take pictures with the star.
“I left here at age 21, I travelled the world, made hory in the clubs I played for. This (taking pictures with rivals) is the respect I get back home,” he gushed.
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The 33-year-old striker’s comeback to football attracted 20,000 fans to the Vila Belmiro Stadium on Wednesday. Neymar has signed a six-month contract with Santos, which he said could be extended.
“I need more minutes, more matches. I am not 100%, but I didn’t expect to run as much as I did tonight. I will be much better three, four games from now,” Neymar told journals in Brazil after the game.
Why is Neymar not wearing No 11 jersey
He came at half-time for Santos, replacing Gabriel Bontempo after the break.
The striker is resurrecting his career at his own stomping ground after Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal terminated his contract mutual consent six months early. Signed with much pomp Al-Hilal, Neymar managed to play just seven matches for the Saudi Pro League club since September 2023, thanks to his ACL injury which sidelined him for a year until October.Story continues below this ad
While Neymar did not score for Santos, Tiquinho Soares scored from the penalty spot in the 38th minute to give the team a lead but Alexandre Jesus equalized with a header in the 67th minute.
The Brazil star played 225 matches for Santos where he scored 138 goals and racked up six titles at the club.
As promised, Neymar did not wear the No. 11 that was his during his first spell from 2009-13; he had Pelé’s No. 10.
Neymar was the most expensive player in soccer hory 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).
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