'Santos Is My Home': Neymar Signs New Contract, Refuses To Quit On 2026 FIFA World Cup Dream

Neymar isn’t done. Not with Santos. Not with Brazil. And certainly not with the World Cup dream.

The Brazilian superstar has agreed to extend his contract with Santos until the end of 2026, the club confirmed on Tuesday, keeping alive hopes of a return to the national team despite a body that has betrayed him far too often.

O PRÍNCIPE CONTINUA! ✍🏽

O eterno #MeninoDaVila Neymar Jr renovou seu contrato com Santos FC até o fim da temporada para seguir escrevendo sua história no futebol com o #MantoSagrado!

Saiba mais no site oficial. pic.twitter.com/JHix07RFxl

— Santos FC (@SantosFC) January 6, 2026

At 33, Neymar could have walked away. Instead, he chose pain, pressure, and purpose.

“Santos is my place. I’m at home,” Neymar said in a video shared by

the club. “It’s with you that I want to achieve the dreams that are still missing.”

Playing Through Pain, Carrying a Club

Neymar returned to his boyhood club in January 2025, and what followed was not a fairy tale — it was a survival mission.

As Santos flirted with relegation from Brazil’s top flight for the second time in their 112-year history, Neymar played on through agony.

Finally, with a 3–0 win over Cruzeiro on the last day, he dragged Santos to a 13th-place finish and away from the brink.

Only after safety was secured did the full truth emerge: he had been battling a knee injury every single match.

“For weeks I could barely play,” Neymar admitted. “But I did it for Santos.”

And still, he delivered, as he registered five goals and one assist in his last four games for Santos.

Surgery, Recovery, and One Last Goal

Last month, Neymar underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery, performed by Brazil’s national team doctor — the same surgeon who previously treated his foot fracture and the devastating ACL injury he suffered against Uruguay in October 2023.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star, and Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, has not played for the Selecao since 2023.

But with Carlo Ancelotti now in charge of Brazil, Neymar believes the door is not closed.

And the message from Ancelotti has been clear: fitness first. And Neymar is willing to fight for it.

So, the target remains the same — the 2026 World Cup, to be held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States from June 11 to July 19.

(with agency inputs)