Neymar Jr. could be playing for another club in Brazil that is not his boyhood club Santos FC.
Neymar Jr. looks to his right while wearing a white jersey and the Santos FC logo is next to him. (Source: Neymar Jr. X)
Neymar Jr. is currently in Saudi Arabia as he plays for Al Hilal, and the Brazilian star’s future could be uncertain as many clubs are interested in him. If he doesn’t return to Europe, his likely destination could be a return to his boyhood club, Santos FC. Neymar has shown his love for Santos as it was the club that gave him his professional debut. His return seems inevitable as he has shown up to his games this past year while he is recovering from his ACL injury he suffered in October. Rumors in Brazil suggested that he would return to Santos in the summer of 2025 when his contract with Al Hilal expires. Now Neymar breaks Santos fans’ hearts as he mentions that he could potentially see himself playing for another Brazilian club, Flamengo. Neymar said in an interview, “Flamengo is my second favorite team. I have great affection for the club, and it would be a great pleasure if one day I could play here. The first being Santos. Because I grew up there and have been a fan since I was young, it would be a pleasure to be able to play here one day.”
O Globo Esportes reports that behind the scenes, Neymar spoke informally about the possibility of playing for Flamengo after the end of his contract with Al Hilal. The club makes it clear that it will not do anything crazy but has started informal conversations about projects for next year.
Neymar attended a Flamengo game a few days ago and was showing off the shirt of his friend, who plays for the club, Gabriel Barbosa or Gabigol. He also met up with his former teammate in the Brazilian national team, David Luiz. The possibility of Neymar joining Flamengo is real since the club has been established as one of the biggest in Brazil.
The other Brazilian club on signing Neymar Jr.
Not only is Flamengo interested in signing Neymar, but Fluminense, the Copa Libertadores champion, is also interested in signing the Brazilian star in the future. The club president of Fluminense, Mario Bittencourt, spoke about signing Neymar in the future, and he believes that it is possible. Bittencourt said, “The doors are open for Neymar if he wants to play for Fluminense. If the club had the conditions, and if I was still here as president, I would trust my words very much: I want to bring Neymar, it depends a lot on whether he wants to come, Marcelo wanted to come, and Thiago [Silva] also wanted to come.”
He continued talking about why he wants to sign Neymar to the club ahead of Flamengo and Santos FC, saying, “If everything helps, we will have a player who will be a dream. I admire him as a player, and he is the player everyone wants to have and that is Neymar. Richarlison played here and Neymar may play again with Ganso, Marcelo and Thiago Silva.”