Neymar Signals Potential Retirement as Santos Contract Nears December Expiry
Brazil's all-time record goalscorer admits he will evaluate whether to stop playing when his deal ends in December.
Santos forward Neymar has acknowledged he could retire from professional football when his contract with the Brazilian club expires in December, signaling a potential conclusion to a career that made him Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer and the most expensive transfer in football history.
The 34-year-old returned to his boyhood club in January 2025 following an injury-ravaged stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal. Speaking ahead of Santos’s upcoming matches, Neymar stated that all options remain open regarding his future once his current deal concludes.
“I don’t know how long [I will continue playing],” Neymar said. “I have a contract with Santos until December. I intend to fulfill the contract, honour the Santos shirt in the best possible way and then I will think when my contract ends if I stay, if I leave, if I stop playing or if I continue.”
The forward’s career trajectory over the past 18 months has been disrupted by persistent physical setbacks, tracing back to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus sustained on international duty with Brazil in October 2023. The injury severely restricted his playing time in the Saudi Pro League before his return to South America.
Despite long rehabilitation periods, Neymar earned selection for the Brazil squad at the World Cup, making two appearances and scoring once. The goal extended his record international tally to 80 goals in 130 caps for the five-time World Cup champions, cementing his standing ahead of Pelé as the nation’s top male international scorer.
In the immediate term, Neymar is focused on Santos’s domestic fixtures, including a Brazil Cup tie against Remo where reports in Brazil indicated he would start on the bench.
“I really don’t know what I’m going to do. Until December there is time, but let’s go little by little, game by game, I’m feeling good physically. That’s what matters,” Neymar said. “I am 100% at the coach’s disposal. As everything comes out at Santos before the players know, they have already published that I will be on the bench. I hope to be ready to help and bring victory to the Big Fish.”
Neymar initially departed Santos for Barcelona at age 21 in 2013, going on to form the celebrated “MSN” attacking trident alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. During his four-year spell at Camp Nou, he claimed two La Liga titles and the 2015 UEFA Champions League crown.
In 2017, he joined Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record transfer fee of around £200million, helping the French club capture five Ligue 1 titles during his tenure in Europe.
