A torrent of tears, a crowd chanting his name and a “100% Jesus” banner around his forehead. Neymar da Silva Santos Jr, aka, Neymar Jr, officially returned to Santos FC, his formative club, on Friday, January 31, which he had left in 2013.
The return of Brazilian football’s prodigal son, who turns 33 on February 5, has been the subject of some well-crafted storytelling in recent weeks. It all began in mid-January, with a video recreating the voice of Pele, the club’s absolute icon, sent to the player and his entourage, and subsequently leaked. Back from the dead thanks to artificial intelligence, the king called on his prince to come back home, even authorizing him to wear his legendary number 10.
Ten days later, on January 27, Neymar announced the termination of his contract with Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) โ a club where, plagued by injuries, he played just seven games in a year and a half. The following day, in a new video posted on Instagram, Marcelo Teixeira, president of the Paulista coastal team, emphatically declared: “The time has come, Neymar. The time has come for you to return to your people, to your home, to our beloved club.”
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