Neymar netted his first goal for Santos since returning to Brazil by successfully converting a penalty during a 3-1 victory over Água Santa from São Paulo on Sunday.
Scoring from the penalty spot in the 14th minute of the Sao Paulo state championship match offers the 33-year-old athlete comfort after a challenging comeback. Thaciano scored in the 26th minute, and Guilherme, with Neymar providing the assist, added another goal in the 70th minute to complete Santos’ scoring.
Neymar has been unable to complete 90 minutes in any match for Santos. His initial performances for the club were less than stellar, but he showed signs of improvement on Sunday as he recovered from his knee injury.
Neymar made his official return to football in October following a year-long absence.
Last month, he announced that his contract with Saudi club Al-Hilal, who paid $94 million for his services in 2023, had been mutually terminated. His time at Al-Hilal was plagued by injuries, limiting him to just seven matches and a single goal.
Neymar has entered into a six-month agreement with Santos, which he noted might be extended later.
During his first tenure at Santos from 2009 to 2013, he found the back of the net 138 times in 225 official competitions.
The Brazilian player became the most expensive footballer ever when he transferred from Barcelona to PSG for a record fee of $262 million in 2017.
