From October 3, 2023, to February 16, 2025—over a year and a half—so much has changed in the world. Political movements, revolutions, and historic events have unfolded. But amidst all of it, one thing remained the same: Neymar hadn’t scored a single goal in 502 days.
That drought finally ended today. The Brazilian forward found the net for Santos against Água Santa, converting a penalty to break his long scoring silence.
Of course, Neymar’s goal drought wasn’t entirely his fault. Brazil’s all-time top scorer spent much of that time sidelined with injuries, unable to even step on the field. His struggles led to Saudi club Al Hilal parting ways with him, prompting his return to childhood club Santos in the winter transfer window. And now, in his fourth match back, the “Prince of Santos” has his first goal.
The goal came in the 12th minute when Neymar was fouled while trying to dribble into the box. He stepped up to take the penalty himself and calmly slotted it home, giving Santos the lead. In the end, Santos won the match 3-1—marking Neymar’s first victory since his return. In his previous three games, Santos had drawn twice and lost once.
Before today’s strike, Neymar’s last goal came in October 2023 for Al Hilal in an AFC Champions League match against Nassaji Mazandaran. Shortly after, he suffered a severe injury while on international duty, sidelining him for a long period. Though he made a brief return to action last October, he played just two matches without scoring.
Now, after months of waiting, Neymar finally has his 361st club career goal. During his first stint at Santos (2009-2013), he scored 138 goals in 225 appearances.
Following his long-awaited goal, Neymar shared his excitement on Instagram, posting: ‘An important victory. Congratulations to the team. Let’s keep moving forward, Santos!’
