“Eu vou mas, eu volto!” Those are the words that Neymar famously scrawled on a wall in the home changing room of the Vila Belmiro in 2013 before he crossed the Atlantic to join Barcelona. His message to the Santos fans was clear: “I’m going but I’ll come back!”
Great things were expected of the prodigious 21-year-old who had been reared at the academy that produced Pelé. Brazilians hoped he would lead them to their first World Cup on home soil in 2014, erasing the hurt of 1950, and go on to become their first Ballon d’Or winner since Kaká in 2007. As we now know, these conquests did not come to pass.
Winning the Champions League and seven league titles in Europe, as well as breaking Pelé’s all-time goalscoring record for Brazil, are not achievements to be sniffed at. But, having never been recognised as the world’s best player, nor won anything other than the Olympics with Brazil, Neymar will always face accusations of not fulfilling his potential.
He did keep his promise to Santos, though. Having made just seven appearances in the Saudi Pro League during his ridiculed spell at Al-Hilal, he returned home to Brazil a much richer man and still football’s most expensive player. He signed a five-month contract with Santos in January and made his debut in a São Paulo state championship match to cheers from the home fans.
“I love Santos very much and I can’t find the words to describe the feeling I felt when I stepped out on to the pitch today,” he said. “Today was a very special day. Thank you to everybody for the love and for cheering us on until the end. Very happy and excited to be back. I will do my best, as I always have, to put Santos where it deserves to be, at the top. Let’s go team. Together we are unbeatable. Believe.”
A few months on from that call to arms, though, Neymar and the club’s supporters are in danger of drifting apart. There have been glimpses of the old Neymar. His winning goal against league leaders Flamengo last month was a reminder of his undoubted world class quality. But, as is often the case in Brazil, where things are capable of going from the highest highs to the lowest lows in a matter of days, a 3-0 defeat to 10-man Mirassol and 2-1 defeat to Internacional erased any good feelings that were starting to build after the win against Flamengo. With just five wins in 17 games so far this season, Santos are hovering above the relegation zone, a worrying development for a club that has only just returned to the top flight.
The defeat to Internacional a fortnight ago was particularly damaging for Neymar’s relationship with the Santos fans. Trailing 2-0 at home, Santos pulled a goal back in the 91st minute. When Neymar scored what he thought was the equaliser, lashing a volley into the net in the 95th minute and celebrating by booting the corner flag, it looked as if his luck was beginning to turn. But – in a moment that perhaps sums up his time back at Santos – the goal was disallowed, Santos lost the game and Neymar ended up having an ugly slanging match with a supporter after the final whistle.
Neymar summoned the fan down to the side of the pitch for an exchange of views that was captured on camera. “He told me to shut up and insulted me, saying that if I was a man I should go to the changing room to talk,” the fan explained. “I asked him as captain to demand commitment, grit, determination. I didn’t understand why he was so angry. In every game I’m there. I was with my son and nephew and we were attacked by other fans after that argument. A fan tried to slap me in the face. My nephew ended up getting a little black eye. Neymar ended up putting us against the fans. Neymar is my idol. I like him, he has already given me a lot of joy. But in this return he is leaving something to be desired.”
Naturally, Neymar disputed this version of events. He responded to the bust-up by saying fans are entitled to criticise his performances but should never make it personal. “He has the right to give his opinion if I played well or badly, what they can’t do is offend me,” said Neymar. “To say I am a mercenary, to talk about my family and friends. I’m sorry but it’s hard to control yourself.”
Whatever actually happened, it did not look good for Neymar. His reputation had already taken a few hits. He missed Santos’ defeat to Corinthians in the semi-finals of the São Paulo state championship in March with an injury, having been photographed at the Sambadrome in Rio a few days earlier. He was roundly mocked for his half-hearted attempt to warm up during the game only to sit back down a few seconds later. His perception among supporters deteriorated further when his father said he had returned to Santos “to recover”, with playing only a bonus.
Walter Casagrande, the Brazil player turned pundit, has accused Neymar and his father of turning a respected institution like Santos into a “beach club”. However, Felipe Noronha, a Santos fan and football commentator, takes a more balanced view of his second spell at the club. “The success has come off the field, with shirt sales, increased reach and followers on social media, and the arrival of major sponsors,” says Noronha. “On the field, he hasn’t yielded as much as Santistas dreamed. Sure, believing in titles so quickly was a bit much, but more wins and better football were expected. When someone returns to Brazil, earning a lot of money, we expect better football.”
Santos have extended Neymar’s contract until the end of the year but, with the European transfer window open, there have been plenty of rumours about a move back across the Atlantic. Noronha does not expect him to go. “I’d say the European market has closed itself off to him. I could be wrong but, observing how he operates and what the high-level European market demands, one doesn’t fit with the other.”
Neymar won every major trophy on offer at Santos as a youngster except the Série A title. The club’s fans were hoping that he might complete the set this time around but, given the team’s standing in the table, expectations have dropped. “Win games with good performances. The fans don’t demand anything more than that,” says Noronha. “The best thing for everyone involved is for him to stay at Santos until the World Cup. Nowhere else will give him the freedom and support he enjoys at this club. There’s only one exception: if the team doesn’t stay in Série A. Then, I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll stay.”
Santos enhanced their hopes of remaining in the top tier with a 3-1 win against Juventude on Monday night. Neymar scored twice, taking his goal tally in his second spell at Santos to three in nine league games. After the match he was asked if he thought his display would impress the Brazil staff in attendance. “Man, I don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” he replied. Whether Carlo Ancelotti is as confident in his ability remains to be seen.
This is an article by Tom Sanderson
