Watch the goal video as the Brazilian icon earns a ban from Santos’ return in the striker’s first game since the 2026 World Cup
Brazil’s goalscorer, Neymar, rescued a point from Santos but was stopped in his first appearance since the Selecao’s exit from the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Neymar exchanged two points with Argentine winger Alvaro Barreal before putting the eight-time Brazilian champions ahead in the 36th minute, but they are still in trouble after being held to a 2-2 draw at home by Chapecoense, who are bottom of Serie A with eight points.
Marcinho’s equalizer after half-time – allowed following a review by the Video Assistant Referee – and Joao Ananias’ 62nd-minute goal gave the visitors a stunning lead.
Neymar, who was booked for pushing Bruno Tubarao, then kept his cool to salvage the equalizer and keep his side in 14th place, a point above the relegation zone.
Neymar: Santos’ goal celebration makes fun of poker criticism
Neymar has come under fire in the Brazilian press after taking part in a poker tournament during his recovery from the World Cup.
The 34-year-old celebrated his comeback by pretending to sell poker cards, explaining during reports that he trained with Santos and was given permission to pursue his hobby.
Former Al-Hilal, Paris-Saint-Germain and Barcelona player Neymar now has six goals in Serie A this season, scoring his first goals for the club since May 10 when he made his first appearance for Santos since May 17.
World Cup 2026: Neymar returns from Brazil
A surprise inclusion in Brazil’s squad following injury problems, Neymar missed his country’s opening game against Morocco and the win over Haiti due to a calf problem.
Brazil used Neymar briefly during their win over Scotland in their third group game but kept him on the bench for their 2-1 win against Japan in the last 32.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti also introduced Neymar as a second-half substitute during Brazil’s 2-1 loss in the last-16 against Norway.
The Selecao conceded twice with Neymar on the pitch, meaning his extra-time penalty was counted for nothing as five champions were sent off.
When is Neymar’s next game? Santos Games
With 19 matches played in the Brazilian season, only the bottom two clubs Chapecoense and Remo have fewer wins than Santos’ total of five.
Neymar could take part in their Sudamericana qualifier at home to Venezuelan side Universidad Central on Wednesday.
They then travel to 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.
| The day | They don’t oppose | Start time is BST | ET | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, July 29 | Universidad Central | 01:30 | 20:30 | 17:30 |
| Thursday, July 30 | São Paulo | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Sun, Aug 2 | Remo | 01:00 | 20:00 | 17:00 |
| Wednesday, Aug 5 | Remo | 01:30 | 20:30 | 17:30 |
| The Sun, Aug 9 | Athletico-PR | 22:30 | 17:30 | 14:30 |
| The Sun, Aug 16 | Vasco | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 |
Neymar Brazil statistics
The 2021 Copa America Player of the Year has 130 caps and broke Pele’s record by scoring his 78th of 80 goals against Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier in September 2023, but tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Uruguay the following month.
After missing two games at the 2022 World Cup due to an ankle injury, Neymar produced two goals and one assist but was part of the team that was knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
Defeat to Norway ensured that he did not feature beyond the final eight games of the tournament, where he was ever present and bagged two goals and two assists before Brazil were knocked out at that stage by Belgium in 2018.
In his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar finished with four goals and one assist in five games but missed Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany and the 3-0 loss to third-placed Netherlands due to injury.
Neymar salary, wages, contract
It is reported that Neymar has signed an initial six-month contract with Santos, which he has extended until the end of Brazil’s last season in December.
The Champions League winner is said to have a £125m-a-year deal with former club Al-Hilal, who he joined from PSG for around £77.6m plus add-ons in August 2023.
