On Tuesday, club president Marcelo Teixeira announced that Neymar had consented to rejoin Santos FC, some 12 years after leaving the Brazilian squad with his salary and contract at the club now join
The Brazil striker Neymar had previously stated that he and the Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal had mutually agreed to end his contract. He only appeared in seven games and scored one goal during his injury-plagued tenure at Al-Hilal.
With his childhood team, Santos, Neymar won six championships, including a Copa Libertadores medal in 2011. Outside of Sao Paulo, Santos is a city with a beach. Neymar had a dismal stint at Al-Hilal, making just seven games in all competitions and scoring one goal against Nassaji Mazandaran in the AFC Champions League. Now, fans will be keenly watching to see if Neymar can rekindle his career with his next move.
Footballer Neymar Jr to Santos return transfer fee, contract details, salary and net worth in 2025
🚨💣 Neymar Jr back to Santos, story confirmed and HERE WE GO! ⚪️⚫️🇧🇷
Al Hilal have terminated Ney’s contract with immediate effect as the Brazilian will now travel for medical and sign in as new Santos player.
Back to Santos, back to Vila Belmiro.
Ney volta pra casa. 🔙🏡 pic.twitter.com/gmPu9uVdNa
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 27, 2025
Neymar is set to sign with Santos, a Brazilian team where he began his career. The Brazil international hoped to move by this month and was very interested in joining Santos. According to sources, the club plans to present Neymar either on Thursday, January 30, or Friday, January 31.
Neymar hit the jackpot when he penned a two-year contract worth nearly £260million before any commercial deals and upon leaving Al-Hilal, his salary worked out to a staggering £2.5m per week.
When Neymar relocates to Santos, he will be taking a significant pay reduction. At Al Hilal, the former Barcelona star was receiving a €1.5 million tax-free wage. However, Santos’ highest-paid player currently makes just €24,360 a week, which is also astronomically less than Neymar’s daily salary.
He is now taking a 99% pay drop as the Brazilian side Santos have handed Neymar a six-month contract and his base weekly salary is now just £32,500.
However, Neymar will later be able to claim 90 per cent of his image rights, with Santos expecting a boost in revenue following his return to the club.
Neymar forfeited millions of his Al Hilal salary because he was determined to play for Santos. His main goal right now is to get back to full fitness and show off his strength.
Neymar’s 18 months in Saudi saw him pocket £193.8m in total with his current net worth at $350 million.
He will get a further £51.9m in wages from the Middle Eastern side after agreeing to give up £8m and also raked in £136m of commercial income during his time with Al-Hilal. He mutually terminated his contract with Al Hilal meaning Santos need to pay no money in transfer fees.
NEYMAR TO SANTOS IS HAPPENING! 🇧🇷pic.twitter.com/l5wDcReU8t
— Brasil Football 🇧🇷 (@BrasilEdition) January 27, 2025
Neymar’s message for Saudi Arabia
“I gave everything to play and I wish we enjoyed better times on the pitch together,” Neymar said in a message on social media. “To Saudi, thank you for giving me and my family a new home and new experiences. I now know the real Saudi and have friends for life.”