Would Neymar be willing to return to Santos and revive the club he played for as a boy?

A little over a month ago, Neymar Miami was hurried down to attend the game. SantosThe club that started his career, will be playing in a final local against Palmeiras. Although he was welcomed as a returning hero by many, he is a man who may divide opinions. Santos, however, is one place where there is a lot of division in his favor. Santos won their first title in four magic years. CONMEBOL LibertadoresSouth America Champions League, since the days of the early 1960s with Pelé.

Fans hope that he will do the same in future. When he posted on Facebook that he was an “Eternal child from Vila Belmiro” (the stadium’s name is Vila Belmiro), his fans called for him to come back. Could he return? Could he have? This is a very real possibility.

Rivaldo is a former world champion who certainly believes so. He told Betfair that there was a good chance he would return. Everyone knows how much Neymar loves Santos and is a hero there. “He doesn’t have any financial needs after years of playing in Europe and Saudi Arabia.” He can come and play for the team in Serie A Santos is close to Brazilian fans during his preparation for the next World Cup.”

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The thought is intriguing. Neymar is the only player who can make a difference. An anterior cruciate injury has kept me out of work since November When his contract ends with the company in mid-next year (at the age of 33), he will become a free agent. Saudi Pro League You can also find out more about club memberships. Al Hilal expires. Rivaldo has a plausible scenario. It would be the perfect time for him to return and prepare for his final dart in the World Cup of 2026. In exchange for a nominal wage, it would be great for his public image to play for such an iconic old club. Neymar’s only issue is that, unless the club wins promotion in Brazil this year, he would have to warm up for World Cup matches in Brazil’s second division.

In the first season since the death of Pelé, with the great man’s mausoleum overlooking the stadium, Santos were First time relegated In their glorious past. Around the globe, the event and subsequent street riots made the headlines. They were all stunned. People were stunned.

15 years ago today, a 17-year-old Neymar made his Santos debut ????????

A special, special talent ✨ pic.twitter.com/Q2jJDgmtto

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Santos have been a sustained miracle. But even miracles cannot last indefinitely. They are the only club like this in Brazil. The other traditional big teams are from state capitals. Santos, a port city that boomed when the coffee industry was in full swing. Santos’ population is not more than half a milllion. It is dwarfed by the nearby metropolis of São Paulo, an hour up the hill if traffic is good.

A club representing a relatively small town in Brazil can continue to beat the giants. This is amazing. There was an enormous fortune in that the teenage Pelé walked into probably the best team in the history of Santos — and then he made it even better. In the 1960s, the club probably claimed to be the most successful in the world.

This could not last. Once Pelé had gone, Santos slipped a little — only to come roaring back in the current century, making a name for themselves as one of the world’s foremost developers of youth talent. The warning signs, however, were everywhere. Brazil’s football clubs have figured out how to make money from their fans in recent years. TV, sponsorships, and membership schemes for supporters have brought in a lot of revenue. It hasn’t all come in at once. There are huge gaps, making it difficult for small clubs to compete. Vila-Belmiro Stadium’s current capacity is less than 18,000.

Santos’ youth program continued to be a success. Santos would benefit firstly from the presence of Diego Ribas, Robinho, Neymar, and DaniloAnd more recently Rodrygo. Then, they could balance their accounts through transfer fees. However, all clubs of this type are well aware that it comes with a price. You are then forced to let players go earlier. This means that you have to bring in the new generation sooner.

Club directors are in a panic and hire desperate coaches that they can’t afford. A club meeting rejected last week the 2023 accounts and, as with the previous four presidents, the former one was at risk of being kicked out.

Rodrigo Capelo – Brazil’s most prominent expert in football financial matters – is not happy. He says that Santos spent money in 2024 by the end of 2023, explaining the club had taken an advance of some TV revenues. They are no longer in the top division. [very lucrative] The domestic cup and other revenue streams are not strong — ticket sales, sponsorships, membership schemes. Santos has relied on player sales to generate revenue from time-to-time.

Currently, however, no one is a big-money potential wonderkid. Capelo insists that “a bomb is ticking.” We’ll know more about the magnitude of it by the end of next year. It’s just an educated guess, but even if the club manages to gain promotion into the premier division, the financial situation could become so bad, and they will need to spend money on a new stadium, as well as improve the youth development that it will make sense to start a company.

I’m not sure if this is good or bad, but it could be necessary because of the situation at your club.”

This possibility has been opened by recent legal reforms. Brazil used to be a country of social membership clubs. Now, Brazil’s football teams are owned and controlled by foreign or domestic capital. Clubs with a high profile, such as Cruzeiro The following are some examples of how to get started: BotafogoOthers, such as, have taken this route. Capelo believes that Santos’s history and reputation make it an obvious choice for a change.

While Neymar was at Paris Saint-GermainHis father, Neymar Snr. (a business manager) was trying to act as a bridge between Santos and the Qataris. He says that he was trying to be a link between Santos, the Qataris and himself. He took the idea and brought it to [then-president] AndresRueda was unimpressed — the idea died the instant Neymar quit PSG. It’s possible, I don’t know. But he may be thinking along the same lines as the Saudis.”

Santos is a South American. Newcastle? A shirt of theirs does have black-and-white stripes. Marcelo Teixeira is the current president and he’s back in his third term. The current president, Marcelo Teixeira is back for his third term in charge.

Santos, on the other hand, was helped by Neymar, Jr. in this first leg. Palmeiras was defeated 1-0. Then, a week after the first match they lost 2-0. Palmeiras, then, were crowned champions of São Paulo state. It was good to win the competition, as it would boost morale. But the true battle — the fight for a return into the premier division — begins next weekend.

Santos may have managed to dodge a FIFA ban on transfers for refusing to pay other clubs’ fees. It is possible that an agreement with the Russian team has been made. Krasnodar. Santos brought in former goalkeeper Edinho, better known as Pelé’s son, to help with the negotiations, and it appears that his charm, fluent English and family connections were a help in thrashing out a deal.

Many dream of a free transfer in mid-next year that will bring one of the greatest names of club history to Santos.