'The prince who never became king' - Neymar returns to Santos

Neymar's instrumentality to his boyhood club, Santos, is complete.

One of Brazil's top footballing exports, and inactive the world's astir costly player, has signed a six-month declaration that brings him backmost to Vila Belmiro.

The 32-year-old's homecoming follows the termination of his contract with Saudi Pro League broadside Al-Hilal connected 27 January, closing the section connected an injury-plagued and yet unfulfilling stint successful the Middle East.

"He was hopeless to travel backmost to Santos," said BBC Sport's Spanish shot adept Guillem Balague.

Santos were anxious to bring Neymar backmost too. They reportedly utilized an AI-generated dependable of nine fable Pele, external successful a video to transportation him to re-sign.

But what volition Neymar truly bring to Santos?

As Balague said: "Everyone knows wherever helium is present with his narration to football."

The narration has evolved passim his career, earning Neymar a estimation arsenic 'the prince who ne'er became king'.

Search for that nickname connected TikTok oregon YouTube and you volition find a flood of compilations with videos of Neymar's champion moments.

These are not conscionable item reels of goals - determination are montages of dazzling dribbles, rainbow flicks, and nutmegs.

A solemnisation of 'Joga Bonito', the Brazilian ethos of 'playing [football] beautifully', Neymar's crippled encapsulated the tone of shot arsenic art.

Add to that the galore hairstyles and the chemoreceptor tape, his full aesthetic has enhanced a shot civilization and lineage that immoderate felt mightiness interruption erstwhile his Brazil counterpart Ronaldinho faded from view.

By the clip Neymar near Santos successful 2013 for Barcelona, the past 21-year-old had scored 136 goals successful 225 appearances, won the 2011 Puskas Award for a breathtaking extremity against Flamengo and finished successful the apical 10 of the Ballon d’Or grant successful the aforesaid year.

Upon his determination to Spain, Neymar was perceived by galore arsenic the heir apparent, the 1 who could yet measurement retired of the shadows formed by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"He's a beauteous idiosyncratic - childlike successful galore ways - but surrounded by bully people, and helium loved Barcelona," Balague said.

Under the agleam lights of the Nou Camp, Neymar shone successful what galore see 1 of the top guardant lines successful shot history.

In a beforehand 3 with Messi and Luis Suarez, helium helped to present 2 La Liga titles, 3 Copa del Reys, and a Champions League trophy.

Operating from the left, Neymar occupied a relation that allowed his brilliance and flair to flourish.

"He had to play successful that presumption due to the fact that of Suarez and Messi," Balague explained.

"At the time, helium didn't realise that being conscionable a near winger would bring retired his best."

In the 2015-16 season, the alleged MSN trio combined for 131 goals and 65 assists, dismantling defences with pace, precision, and audacity.

Neymar was delivering connected the biggest stage, but the imagination of dethroning his present team-mate Messi to go the world's champion subordinate was looking similar conscionable that, a dream. Messi was the untouchable prima of the show, with everyone other successful a supporting role, adjacent Neymar.

Balague reflected: "The time helium realised helium had to permission Barcelona was their incredible Champions League comeback victory against Paris St-Germain which finished 6-1 successful March 2017.

"He scored 2 goals and got an assistance for the sixth goal, helium was the champion subordinate connected the pitch, but the main photograph aft was of Messi. He realised helium would not beryllium capable to beryllium the fig 1 astatine Barcelona."

That summer, Neymar swapped his beingness successful Spain for the superior of France.

PSG paid a world-record €222m (£200m) fee that remains unsurpassed to this day.

In Paris, Neymar often operated with much freedom, shifting into a cardinal relation wherever helium orchestrated attacks and created from deeper positions.

More state connected the transportation was coupled with much commercialized obligations disconnected it.

"His emotion for the crippled was taken from him successful Paris, helium became an industry," Balague said.

"In fact, erstwhile helium was astatine PSG, his declaration said helium could dedicate days to grooming and others to commercialized opportunities.

"After that his caput started going successful antithetic directions. He would play the PlayStation until 3 successful the greeting and wouldn't beryllium capable to bid properly, but connected a matchday helium would travel retired with thing genius."

Neymar's clip successful Paris delivered aggregate home titles, but it lacked the defining European triumph PSG wanted.

The closest they came was the 2020 Champions League final, with a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Bayern Munich successful which the Brazilian played the afloat 90 minutes.

Although Neymar's idiosyncratic brilliance flashed astatine times, injuries and off-field distractions defined overmuch of his clip successful Paris.

Tensions grew, too, arsenic the accomplishment of Kylian Mbappe and erstwhile team-mate Lionel Messi analyzable Neymar's relation successful the team.

Speaking connected a podcast with Brazil fable Romario,, external Neymar said: "I person my things with Kylian Mbappe. We fought a little, but helium was cardinal for us. I ever helped him, talked to him, but erstwhile Messi came, helium got a small jealous."

Injuries compounded Neymar's frustrations, with his past crippled coming during the 2022-23 play earlier ankle country ruled him retired for the remainder of the campaign.

In August 2023, astatine the property of 31, Neymar joined Al-Hilal successful Saudi Arabia connected a reported €150m (£129m) yearly deal.

That amounted to astir six times the wage helium had been paid successful France.

But misfortune followed Neymar to Saudi, with a superior genu wounded portion playing for Brazil sidelining him for overmuch of his stint successful the emerging league.

He played conscionable 7 games for the Saudi club.

"His nonsubjective was to enactment with Al-Hilal for different six months and play successful the Club World Cup this summer,” said South American shot adept Tim Vickery connected BBC Radio 5 Live.

“That was expected to beryllium a immense billboard to the shot satellite that said: 'I'm backmost baby.'"

He's backmost each close - but backmost successful Brazil. Neymar has returned to a Santos who person conscionable been promoted backmost to Brazil's apical league.

Should helium enactment fit, Neymar's beingness could beryllium invaluable not lone for Santos but besides for Brazil's nationalist squad - who helium past represented successful October 2023, erstwhile the ACL successful his near genu ruptured against Uruguay.

Despite overtaking Pele to go Brazil's grounds scorer, Neymar mightiness person had an adjacent amended planetary vocation but for injuries.

He sat retired the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup successful Belo Horizonte, Brazil's palmy 2019 Copa America run and 2 retired of 5 games successful the 2022 World Cup.

As young stars similar Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo proceed to blossom, Brazil could beryllium among the favourites for the 2026 World Cup. But Neymar's acquisition and flair would inactive connection thing unsocial if helium tin enactment healthy.

Neymar is an inspiration to this generation's hottest young stars, with Barcelona's teenage winger Lamine Yamal having posed successful a Santos garment bearing the superstar's name.

"He is loved by players and is Yamal's leader due to the fact that helium did things nary different players could," said Balague.

The 'prince' whitethorn not person rather claimed the throne, but his power connected shot civilization persists.

And possibly determination is 1 past defining section of the Neymar communicative inactive to beryllium told.

Here we person a footballer, not yet a veteran, with the endowment to instrumentality himself, his nine and his state to the precise apical - a regal endowment inactive targeting a coronation moment.

After Messi's World Cup crowning successful Qatar, don't number retired Neymar successful the United States conscionable yet.