Neymar extends Santos deal through 2026, eyeing World Cup return

SAO PAULO, ‌Jan 6 : Neymar has agreed to extend his contract with Santos until the end of 2026, the Brazilian club said on Tuesday, as he maintains hopes of a World Cup call-up despite recent injuries.

The 33-year-old forward returned to his ‌boyhood club Santos in January 2025 ‌and played a key role in their survival in the Brazilian top flight, scoring five times in their last five matches.

"Santos is my place, I'm at home," Neymar said in a video published on the Brazilian ‍club's social media. "It's with you that I want to achieve the dreams that are still missing," he added, referring to Santos' fans.

Neymar, who has long struggled with injuries, ​underwent successful arthroscopic ‌surgery on his knee last month.

The former Barcelona and Paris St Germain star, Brazil's all-time top ​scorer with 79 goals, has not featured for the five-time ⁠World Cup winners since ‌2023. Manager Carlo Ancelotti said in October he ​must be fully fit to earn a recall.

Brazil will face Scotland, Morocco and Haiti in Group ‍C of the World Cup, running from June 11 ⁠to July 19 in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

(Reporting ​by Gabriel Araujo ‌in Sao Paulo; additional reporting by Andre ‍Romani; ​Editing by Sonali Paul)