Neymar on Friday signed a six-month contract with Santos, the Brazilian club where he started his career.

“The contract is for six months initially, but obviously we will do all we can that he remains with us,” Santos’s vice-president Fernando Bonavides told Canal SporTV.

“What we are hoping is that he remains with us until next year’s World Cup,” he added.

The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward returns to Santos, after playing just seven times for Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal despite a reported salary of around $104 million a year.

Neymar, Brazil’s all-time top scorer, joined Al Hilal in August 2023, following fellow superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the Gulf.

But two months after his arrival in Riyadh, he ruptured a cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Brazil in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, which kept him on the sidelines for a year.

He then suffered a series of hamstring and knee injuries as he tried to return to action.

Neymar cut a contented figure as he was presented to fans in a ceremony at the club’s Estadio Urbano Caldeira, featuring concerts by several local music stars. (AFP)

• Neymar and the President of Santos, Marcelo Pirilo Teixeira, display a jersey during his presentation as a new player of the Santos football team