Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 23/strong>
AFP: When Neymar left Brazil aged 21 in 2013, bound for Barcelona, he set off to establish himself as a footballing great, seemingly destined to be remembered as his country’s greatest player since Pele.
Last week, 12 years on, he returned to first club Santos -– Neymar the celebrity with unimaginable wealth, but a footballer whose fragile body has been badly diminished by injuries.
Neymar has been one of the finest players in the world when at the top of his game, a forward with dazzling skill who “understands football as art”, as his former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique once said.
It is equally true that he never managed to fulfil his potential, a player who dreamt of winning the Ballon d’Or but always found himself in the shadow of others at club level, whether it be Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe.
Having signed a six-month deal, he is expected to make his second debut for Santos on Wednesday, his 33rd birthday, when they play Botafogo-SP in the Sao Paulo state championship.
“He will play on Wednesday,” confirmed Santos coach Pedro Caixinha, who had a short spell as manager of Rangers in Scotland in 2017.
