The club announced the personnel matter concerning its star in a social media video.
Just before the turn of the year, the traditional Brazilian football club FC Santos let the cat out of the bag: Santos somewhat vaguely announced the contract extension with its superstar Neymar. After two short-term contracts, each lasting only six months, the 33-year-old attacking star is now tied to his youth club until December 31, 2026. This was confirmed by a source familiar with the negotiations to the AFP news agency. Further details were not announced on New Year’s Eve.
In a video published on social media channels, the date June 10th, 2026 on the scoreboard of the Vila Belmiro stadium changed to December 31st, 2026 after a lightning strike. Neymar was not mentioned in it.
In the final hours of the expiring contract, Santos had not only achieved the desired extension but also secured the club icon for longer than hoped.
After all, Neymar had set his sights on the World Cup starting on June 11 in the USA, Canada, and Mexico as a major goal. However, after an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his last international match on October 17, 2023, injuries repeatedly set back the striker (128 international caps, 79 goals) at home as well.
After another procedure on his injured left knee just over a week ago, his first nomination under Brazil’s new national coach Carlo Ancelotti is increasingly becoming a race against time. The star coach from Italy had recently said: “Since we are talking about Neymar, we must also talk about other footballers. We must think about Brazil, with or without Neymar.”