Neymar really "wasted"? It's not an exaggeration to say this. When a talented player with a value of up to 220 million euros only appeared 7 times in the Saudi league and then bid farewell to his "high-paying journey," people can't help but ask: what happened to him? From peak to trough, Neymar's career has been filled with high hopes, but now it seems to have become a "replacement" of the times. After officially terminating his contract with Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, he is re-planning his future, and the most surprising choice is: returning to Santos. Is all this just to take a breath for the end of stardom, or to pay for memories?
Rewind to the summer of 2023, when Neymar joined Al-Nassr of the Saudi league with a sky-high annual salary of 100 million euros, a message that almost overnight dominated the global sports headlines. At that time, the Saudi league was attracting top world players with its "big-money poaching," with Cristiano Ronaldo already on board, followed by the arrivals of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, and others. The ambition of becoming the "sixth largest league in the world" was grand. And Neymar was undoubtedly one of the highlights of this football feast, as the core of "Paris Saint-Germain," he was expected to become the world's calling card for Saudi football.
But what happened? In just over two years, Neymar only played a meager seven times for Al-Nassr. This performance is not surprising, it's not even up to par. People criticize him for being highly paid but underperforming, even saying he is a "failure sample" of the Saudi league. But looking at it from another angle, is it really Neymar's fault for "slacking off"? Not entirely so. The frequent injuries that have plagued him since his Paris Saint-Germain days have long limited his play. Ankle, knee, and muscle strains, these chronic ailments keep coming one after another, making it difficult for him to recover his explosive power from his peak period.
In fact, looking back at Neymar's days at Paris Saint-Germain, although he had the halo of "the most expensive player in team history," life wasn't that smooth sailing. He once stood out in Ligue 1 with his astonishing individual ability, but injuries always "messed things up" at critical moments. Those years, Paris Saint-Germain's big-money dream of winning the Champions League was repeatedly hit, and Neymar, due to frequent absences in the knockout stages of the Champions League, indirectly became a scapegoat. Although there were a few moments of brilliance, the label of "glass man" always followed him.
Experts comment that professional players like Neymar, if they cannot effectively control their injuries after entering their 30s, their careers will quickly go downhill. Looking back at the "Galactic Team" MSN trio (Messi, Suarez, Neymar), Neymar was once considered the hope to succeed the Ballon d'Or, but now he has become the first to be described as "too old for the job."
This point is particularly striking. In today's football world, the names of the three superstars Neymar, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo are often compared. But the results are not hard to find, and at 33, Neymar's state is clearly the worst. Let's look at Messi, who, with his high self-discipline and stable performance, not only achieved his championship dream in the Qatar World Cup but also continued to "play god" in the MLS; let's look at Cristiano Ronaldo, who, despite controversy after joining Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, broke the stereotype of a "retirement league" with his fighting spirit and adaptability, delivering impressive goal-scoring statistics.
And what about Neymar? High expectations, high salaries, low performance. Before transferring to Saudi Arabia, he was often criticized for his lack of self-discipline. Over the years, whether it was the heavy gambling at his birthday parties or the tabloid news of attending entertainment events during the offseason, it all无形中削弱了他的职业竞技状态管理。虽然专业能力毋庸置疑，但底子再硬，经不起这样的生活挥霍。能否自觉，是梅西成功、内马尔低谷的关键分水岭。
Perhaps it was precisely because he realized the reality of his physical and competitive state that after leaving Saudi Arabia, Neymar did not indulge in European and American giants but seriously considered the invitation from his mother team, Santos. Santos, this Brazilian club, is the starting point of Neymar's career and the first stepping stone for him to step onto the world stage. Many old fans still remember how this young man, with his delicate dribbling and fierce speed, turned Santos into an enviable "strong team." For Neymar, Santos is not just a starting point but also a symbol of the beginning of his football dream.
From a competitive perspective, Santos is not a "challenging" choice; it is more like a stable haven. Compared to the more intense physical confrontations in European and American leagues, domestic Brazilian competitions may give Neymar more time and space to adjust, and are also more suitable for an aging player to play out their remaining heat. More importantly, this emotional return has become a bridge between Neymar and the fans. For the Brazilian fans full of sentiment, the return of a superstar to their roots is a deep affirmation of the spiritual value of local football.
However, professionally returning to Santos does not mean that Neymar has drawn a line under his ambitions for the national team. In fact, the 2026 World Cup is likely to be Neymar's last major tournament for Brazil. A superstar who once led the Brazilian team to the semi-finals of the World Cup would be a huge disappointment if he lost the opportunity to participate in the World Cup in the final stage of his career.
But the question arises: can Neymar hold on until 2026? His injury troubles and competitive state have begun to pose a threat to his "starting qualification," and on the other hand, the young Brazilian front line is rising. If he cannot use this time at Santos to quickly adjust his state, then even if the national team brings him in out of respect for his meritorious service, he will find it difficult to play a central role in the World Cup.
Neymar's choice is not just a retreat of escape. The peak state of a professional player is like climbing a mountain, reaching the top for a moment, but holding onto it is not easy. He has proven himself to be a football prodigy, but due to injuries and state management issues, he has gradually moved away from his peak. Choosing to return to Santos undoubtedly provides him with an opportunity to reconcile with the past and allows him to enter the final stage of his career with a more relaxed attitude.
Neymar's story tells us that no one can stand forever at the top of the football field. And his next performance may allow us to redefine what "dignity" and "farewell" mean.