Brazil record scorer Neymar rescued a point for Santos but incurred a suspension on his first appearance since the Selecao’s last-16 exit at the World Cup 2026.
Neymar exchanged a one-two with Argentinian winger Alvaro Barreal before putting the eight-time Brazilian champions ahead in the 36th minute, but they remain in relegation trouble after being held to a 2-2 draw at home to Chapecoense, who are bottom of Serie A by eight points.
Marcinho’s equaliser after the break – allowed following a Video Assistant Referee review – and Joao Ananias’ 62nd-minute own goal gave the visitors a surprise lead.
Neymar, who was booked for shoving Bruno Tubarao, then kept his cool to salvage a draw and keep his side 14th, a point above the relegation zone.
Neymar: Santos goal celebration pokes fun at poker criticism
Neymar received criticism in the Brazilian press after he took part in a poker tournament while he was returning to full fitness following the World Cup.
The 34-year-old celebrated in his comeback match by pretending to deal poker cards, having explained at the time of the reports that he had trained with Santos and been given permission to pursue his pastime.
Former Al-Hilal, Paris-Saint-Germain and Barcelona playmaker Neymar now has six goals in this season’s Serie A, scoring his first club goals since May 10 on his first Santos appearance since May 17.
World Cup 2026: Neymar returns from Brazil cameo
A surprise inclusion in Brazil’s squad because of his recent injury history, Neymar missed his country’s opening draw with Morocco and subsequent win over Haiti because of a calf injury.
Brazil used Neymar briefly during their win over Scotland in their third group stage match but kept him on the bench for their 2-1 comeback victory against Japan in the last 32.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti again introduced Neymar as a second-half substitute in Brazil’s 2-1 last-16 defeat to Norway.
The Selecao conceded twice with Neymar on the pitch, meaning his added-time penalty counted for nothing as the five-time champions were knocked out.
When is Neymar’s next game? Santos fixtures
With 19 matches of the Brazilian season played, only bottom two clubs Chapecoense and Remo have fewer wins than Santos’ total of five.
Neymar could be involved in their Sudamerican knockout round play-off at home to Venezuelan club Universidad Central on Wednesday.
They then visit Sao Paulo in the league, play a two-legged Brazilian Cup tie against Remo and host Athletico-PR and travel to Vasco in the top flight.
| Date | Opponents | BST kick-off time | ET | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weds, Jul 29 | Universidad Central | 01:30 | 20:30 | 17:30 |
| Thurs, Jul 30 | São Paulo | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Sun, Aug 2 | Remo | 01:00 | 20:00 | 17:00 |
| Weds, Aug 5 | Remo | 01:30 | 20:30 | 17:30 |
| Sun, Aug 9 | Athletico-PR | 22:30 | 17:30 | 14:30 |
| Sun, Aug 16 | Vasco | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 |
Neymar Brazil stats
The 2021 Copa America Best Player has 130 caps and broke Pele’s record by scoring the 78th of his 80 international goals during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in September 2023, but ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Uruguay the following month.
After missing two games at the 2022 World Cup with an ankle injury, Neymar produced two goals and one assists but was part of a team knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
The defeat to Norway ensured he has never played beyond the last eight of the tournament, having been ever-present and contributed two goals and two assists before Brazil were knocked out at that stage by Belgium in 2018.
At his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar finished on four goals and one assist in five games but missed Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany and 3-0 third-placed match loss to the Netherlands through injury.
Neymar salary, wages, contract
Neymar reportedly signed an initial six-month contract with Santos, which he has since extended until the end of the last Brazilian season in December.
The Champions League winner is said to have had a deal worth £125m a year with previous club Al-Hilal, who he joined from PSG for around £77.6m plus add-ons in August 2023.
