What next for Neymar? Ex-Barcelona star running out of options with desperate 'Hand of God' attempt set to cap disastrous second Santos spell

Neymar made his highly-anticipated second debut for Santos on his 33rd birthday, stepping off the bench at the start of the second half in a Campeonato Paulista match against Botafogo that his team were leading 1-0. Santos would eventually be held to a 1-1 draw, but Neymar showed plenty of his trademark flair, and even came close to marking the occasion with a sublime solo goal after tip-toeing his way through the Botafogo defence.

"I need minutes, I'm not at 100 percent," he said amid clear signs of rust. "I didn't expect to run and dribble so much tonight. I think I'll feel better in four or five games."

Neymar got what he wanted as he was handed his first start against Novorizontino in Santos' next Paulista outing, but struggled to keep up with the pace of the contest. Across his 75 minutes on the pitch, the veteran forward completed only one dribble and ceded possession 24 times, while also failing to muster a shot on target as Santos played out a 0-0 stalemate.

A subsequent trip to arch-rivals Corinthians didn't spark Neymar back into life, either, as Santos suffered a 2-1 defeat, and he made headlines for his actions off the pitch rather than on it, complaining about the FIFA-approved match balls being used in the Paulista instead of taking any responsibility for the final result.

The moment Santos supporters had been waiting for finally arrived on February 16, though. Neymar scored his first goal since returning to the club in a 3-1 victory over Agua Santa, calmly converting a penalty after winning it himself following a brilliant slalom run into the box. He also provided the assist for Guilherme to round off the scoring and cap an impressive all-around display.

Suddenly, there was hope that Neymar's homecoming would be far more than just a publicity stunt. Santos also won their next three games, against Noroeste, Inter Limeira and Red Bull Bragantino, to reach the Paulista A1 semi-finals, and Neymar added another four goal contributions to his tally, including a stunning 'Olimpico' effort that left his manager in awe.

"Neymar is a football genius," then-Santos boss Pedro Caixinha said after the 3-0 romp away at Limeira. "Our responsibility is to help him grow, to make him feel confident, happy, that he wanted to play and make a difference."

At that stage, everything was running smoothly - but disaster is always just around the corner with Neymar.

Neymar wasn't able to finish Santos' 2-0 win over Bragantino after picking up a knock, but played down the severity of the issue on social media. "I'm fine, I felt some discomfort and I thought I'd better spare myself!" Neymar said on Instagram. "It's been a while since I played a game with this intensity... Super happy to be getting back in better shape!"

Dorival Junior bought into that claim, calling Neymar back into the Brazil squad for the first time since 2023 with a pair of crucial World Cup qualifying fixtures against Colombia and Argentina on the horizon. Dorival expressed his relief over Neymar finally being available again, admitting Brazil "were waiting for him", so what came next must have felt like a major slap in the face.

Neymar sat on the bench for the entirety of Santos' Paulista semi-final tie against Corinthians on March 9, which they lost 2-1, and then revealed that his hamstring injury was worse than initially feared. After talks with Dorival and the rest of the Brazil staff, the decision was taken not to risk him for international duty. "I can't fit into the heaviest shirt in the world right now!" he declared in an emotional message to his followers.

To make matters worse, questions were also raised over Neymar's activities outside of football, just as they had been so often at PSG. He was accused of not "taking football seriously" and neglecting to "give priority to his treatment" after being spotted partying at the Rio Carnival just a few days after sitting out the Corinthians game, and did not return to action until the middle of April.

After six weeks out, Neymar played the second half of Santos' 1-0 defeat to Fluminense. That extended the club's winless run at the start of their 2025 Brazilian Serie A campaign to three matches, and cost Caixinha his job, but Neymar was immediately restored to the starting line up as assistant coach Cesar Sampaio took the reins on an interim basis.

Unfortunately, the fleet-footed attacker only lasted 34 minutes in his 100th home appearance for Santos against Atletico Mineiro. A visibly emotional Neymar was taken off the field in a buggy holding his problematic left thigh area again, and it was reported that he would be forced onto the sidelines for at least another month.

Speculation over Neymar's future then started to rage. Santos had only re-signed him on a five-month contract, and stretched their resources to the limit to do so, reportedly giving the Brazil international a 90 percent share of every product or marketing action the club made around him, alongside a base salary of €163,000 per month.

Extending Neymar's stay would make no sense financially if his fitness troubles persisted, which Santos president Marcelo Teixeira alluded to in an interview with TV Globo: "There is no benefit to [Neymar’s injury]. There is a project, this work is independent of him playing. We really need to analyse and calculate the project, the continuity, the gains and the benefits of Neymar staying."

Neymar has worked his way back to fitness again, but it may be too little, too late. New permanent head coach Cleber Xavier gave the forward a cameo in Santos' 1-0 win at Vitoria on May 25, and he started in a friendly clash with RB Leipzig three days later, reuniting with ex-PSG team-mate Xavi Simons in the process.

Reporters from across the country all wanted to know the same thing after the latter contest: Will Neymar still be a Santos player beyond June 30? The man himself couldn't give a definitive answer, though, as he stated: "I still don't know. I'm not going to answer any more questions about it, that's because I'm still thinking about it. I'll only decide after the 12th [June]."

That is the day that the Brazilian season is being put on pause for a month to allow for the Club World Cup. Santos still had two games left before that, starting with a huge trip to reigning Serie A and Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo.

If ever there was a place for Neymar to put in a statement display to boost his chances of a contract renewal, this was it. But once again, he didn't even make it to the final whistle. With the scoreline locked at 0-0 after 76 minutes, Neymar was shown a second yellow card for blatantly punching the ball into the net with his hand, and 10-man Santos went on to lose 1-0.

There was no subtlety whatsoever in Neymar's 'Hand of God' attempt; by his own admission it was an act of "desperation". The Santos captain added on his social channels: "I want to apologise to my team-mates and also to the fans! I made a mistake, forgive me!!!

With Santos now languishing down in 18th place in the Serie A standings, there will no doubt be some fans who are unwilling to listen to Neymar's plea.

Unsurprisingly, Neymar was not included in Brazil's latest squad, which is the first to be helmed by ex-Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who succeeded Dorival in the hot seat on May 12. Ancelotti was by no means closing the door on Neymar, though, as he made clear to the media: "In this call-up, I selected the players who are doing well. Neymar has just returned from injury, everyone knows his quality and we are counting on him."

But if Brazil are seriously still putting their faith in Neymar heading into the 2026 World Cup, they may as well give up on a sixth global crown right now. Neymar is in no fit state to lead his country, or Santos, for that matter.

Indeed, Neymar may well have played his final game for his boyhood club, because he is suspended for Thursday's encounter against Fortaleza, and his contract is due to expire in just 28 days. That is time enough for Santos to tie their prized academy graduate to fresh terms, but Neymar's father revealed to Globoesporte last week that discussions with the club have not even started yet.

Even more worrying for Neymar is the fact that there appears to be no other options on the table. Links with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami have gone cold, and Barcelona have reportedly distanced themselves from a move to re-sign the Brazilian, who is undeniably damaged goods at this point.

"Neymar can no longer play at the level we are used to," former Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus infamously said before Neymar's exit in January. That's a reality the whole world must now come to accept.