Brazil's Neymar is fouled by Botafogo SP's Alisson Cassiano during his debut match for Santos FC, in Sao Paulo league soccer match, in Santos, Brazil on Wednesday-AP SANTOS, Brazil, Feb 06 (AP): Neymar took powerful shots from the edge of the box and ran above his own expectations in 52 minutes on the pitch for Santos on Wednesday in his first game for the Brazilian club since his return last week.
Then he took the opportunity to hit back at his former Al-Hilal coach, Jorge Jesus, who had cast doubts over Neymar's form to play.
The 33-year-old striker wasn't able to cap his night at Vila Belmiro Stadium with a win on his birthday - Santos drew 1-1 draw with Botafogo Ribeirao Preto, a team fighting relegation in the Sao Paulo state championship. "I need more minutes, more matches. I am not 100%, but I didn't expect to run as much as I did tonight," Neymar, who is still recovering from ACL surgery, told journalists. "I will be much better three, four games from now."
He replaced Gabriel Bontempo after the break and was immediately the center of attention. He became the most fouled player, with five challenges from rivals, in the second half. Neymar also took six shots on goal and gave 22 passes, some as sharp as those in his prime. Saudi club Al-Hilal terminated Neymar's contract by mutual consent last week, six months early, after he played only seven matches since September 2023. The ACL injury sidelined him for a year until October. Speaking after the match, Neymar said his performance was also a response to the negative comments of his former coach.
"I knew that I was going to show something different on the pitch," Neymar told Brazilian channel CazeTV at Vila Belmiro Stadium. "The pitch is the only place where I can defend myself from that criticism, those comments."
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