Neymar signs Santos renewal through end of 2026

Neymar signed a contract extension Tuesday to stay with Santos through the end of 2026, with the Brazil star making the announcement himself on the club’s social media channels.

“2025 was a special and challenging year for me — a time of joy and of overcoming obstacles that I was only able to face thanks to your love,” Neymar said in the announcement. “2026 has arrived, and destiny could not be different. Santos is my place. Here I am at home, safe and happy. And it is with you that I want to achieve the rest of my dreams.”

Neymar, 33, returned to his boyhood club last January and despite battling injuries and relegation over the course of Brazil’s Serie A season, he helped the team avoid the drop in the final matches of the campaign.

Santos announced on Dec. 22 that Neymar, who has battled a series of knee injuries in recent years, underwent a successful minor operation on his left knee. He has not played for Brazil since suffering an ACL tear during World Cup qualifying in October of 2023.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star still has hopes of making the national team for Brazil for the World Cup this summer, and manager Carlo Ancelotti has said repeatedly Neymar would be considered for selection if fully fit.

Neymar scored 11 goals in 34 appearances for Santos after joining at the start of 2025, and was a key contributor in helping them avoid relegation from the top flight at the end of the season.

Santos begins play in the Sao Paulo State Championship on Jan. 10 and will start league play in the Brazilian Serie A on Jan. 28 against Chapecoense.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.