Neymar unsure on Santos future after 17-minute hat-trick edges boyhood club towards safety
Neymar inspired Santos to a crucial win in their fight for survival, but is unsure if he will be there after his contract expires at the end of this month.
Santos are a step closer to securing their place in Brazil’s Serie A for next season after Neymar’s 17-minute hat-trick, but the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star was unable to say whether he will play any part in that campaign following their 3-0 win over Juventude.
Neymar has struggled for most of a difficult 2025 season with the club he left for Barca as a 21-year-old in 2013, with the eight-time Brazilian champions mired in a battle at the wrong end of the table.
It was revealed last week that Neymar had a knee injury requiring arthroscopic surgery. However, Neymar elected to delay the procedure to play in Santos’ final three games of the season, and his impact in their fight for survival since has been huge.
He scored a goal and assisted another in Santos’ 3-0 defeat of Sport Recife last Friday, before lifting the Peixe two points clear of the relegation zone with a superb individual display.
Neymar opened the scoring in the 56th minute by finishing off a neat team move with an emphatic finish into the top-right corner, and then doubled the lead nine minutes later by slotting through the goalkeeper’s legs at the near post after being played in down the left channel.
In the 73rd minute he put the game beyond doubt with a coolly taken penalty, putting Santos in a position of strength going into their final game of the season with third-placed Cruzeiro.
Neymar non-committal on future
Neymar’s contract expires at the end of this month, but he isn’t thinking about what will happen afterwards.
“I don’t know, honestly,” the 33-year-old said when asked about his future by Amazon Prime Video. “First, I want to finish this season and then think about it. Santos always comes first.
“I’m very happy for the goals and for helping Santos. We’re happy for the win. There’s one game left, and we have to give our all at Vila again.
“I always prioritise my health, nothing that would harm my career. It’s [the injury] manageable, something I’ve been dealing with for years. I’m doing everything to reach 100 percent. Scoring the goals today made me really happy.
“I’ve always been Neymar in every match, regardless of the situation. Sometimes things don’t go as planned because of the team’s form or injuries, but I’ve always shown up. I know what I can do on the pitch and always aim to give my best.”
Vitoria are fourth bottom in the final relegation spot and two points behind Santos ahead of the final round of fixtures, when they host eighth-placed São Paulo. Fortaleza and Ceara are a point adrift of Santos and face seventh-placed Botafogo and second-placed Palmeiras respectively.
A win over Cruzeiro on Sunday will seal Santos’ place in the top flight for another season but, with the teams immediately below them all facing difficult fixtures, it appears likely Neymar’s heroics against Juventude will prove to be enough regardless of whether the Peixe claim a third straight win.