Neymar has expressed gratitude to Santos for helping him “rediscover joy” after rejoining his boyhood club on a short-term deal.
The 33-year-old ended a 16-month goal drought by calmly converting a penalty during Santos’ 3-1 victory over Água Santa on Sunday.
“I’m happy to be playing again. I feel I’m improving,” said Neymar, who completed a return to Santos after Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent following an injury-hit spell with the club.
He added: “Obviously I’m not going to be 100% physically, it’s only my fourth game but I’m getting better and better.
“I was anxious to score and wanted to dedicate this to the fans and my family.”
Al-Hilal secured Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023 for £77.6m, but a knee injury limited him to just seven appearances.
Neymar initially made his senior debut for Santos at 17 in 2009, amassing 136 goals and 64 assists in 225 matches during his first spell with the club.
In 2013, he moved to Barcelona for £48.6m, where he cemented his status as one of the world’s finest players, winning eight trophies, including the Champions League and two La Liga titles.
His career took another leap in 2017 when Paris Saint-Germain signed him for a record-breaking £200m. Neymar added 13 more trophies to his collection in Paris but eventually fell out of favor with manager Luis Enrique, prompting a move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal.
Shortly after joining Al-Hilal, Neymar became Brazil’s all-time leading male goalscorer, surpassing Pelé with 78 goals. However, he has not represented his country since suffering a knee injury in October 2023.
Announcing his return to Santos on a contract running until 30 June, Neymar said he had been “wishing for this moment to come true for a long time.”
“We’re helping each other, Santos are helping me, they’ve opened doors for me to rediscover soccer, to rediscover joy,” he said.
“I didn’t want to sign a long contract because I didn’t know how I was going to come back. I didn’t know how I was going to feel during these months. Let’s enjoy these moments, it’s the start of a great era for Santos.”