Neymar Not Done Yet: Santos Star Eyes 2026 World Cup Glory as He Extends Career Beyond Doubt

After a difficult chapter in Saudi Arabia, Brazil’s all-time top scorer returns home, sets his sights on legacy, not silence

He’s been written off more times than he can count. Branded as fragile, accused of falling out of love with football, and painted as a fading star clinging to past glories. But Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is still here—still standing, still smiling, still dreaming.

Now 33, the Brazil icon has signed a contract extension with Santos, the club where it all began. With a fresh deal in hand and the 2026 World Cup firmly in his sights, Neymar isn’t just refusing to fade into the background—he’s preparing for one final, defiant act on football’s biggest stage.

Full circle: Santos, recovery and resilience

After a painful spell with Saudi club Al-Hilal—cut short due to a devastating ACL injury—Neymar returned to familiar ground at Santos earlier this year. It wasn’t a grand arrival surrounded by fireworks and packed stadiums. Instead, it was a quiet homecoming, a nod to his roots in Brazil’s coastal city where he once danced through defences as a teenage prodigy.

Now, with European clubs still sniffing around despite his injury woes, Neymar has opted to stay where his heart is—for now. He has extended his stay at Santos until the end of 2025, a timeline that conveniently brings him right up to the World Cup in North America next summer.

And make no mistake: the World Cup is very much on his mind.

“As long as I can perform, I’ll keep going”

Neymar Santos 2025

In an emotional interview alongside his partner Bruna Biancardi, Neymar opened up about his motivation—and what still fuels his passion for the game despite years of relentless scrutiny and physical setbacks.

“What drives me is the love I still feel for football,” Neymar said. “The desire I feel to play, to be on the field—that’s what drives me every day. To wake up, to train. That love will never end.”

He’s not putting a timeline on retirement. Instead, Neymar is letting his body and heart decide.

“At some point, the desire to play, because I can no longer do it, because I can no longer perform as I want to, will end,” he added. “But as long as I still have the desire to play football, you’ll have to share me—my love.”

It was a rare, raw glimpse into the mind of a footballer who, for all the headlines and controversy, remains one of the most gifted players of his generation.

A legacy misunderstood?

Neymar Brazil South Korea World Cup 05 12 2022

Despite his undeniable achievements—including surpassing Pelé as Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer—Neymar has long been a polarizing figure. His critics point to theatrics, injuries, and off-field distractions. But Neymar insists those judgments rarely reflect reality.

“I can’t control other people’s thoughts,” he said. “It’s easy to judge, but hard to understand what goes on behind the scenes.”

Throughout his career, Neymar has often found himself at odds with public opinion. Whether it was his mega-money move to PSG, his injury absences during crucial tournaments, or his outspoken nature, the perception of him has rarely matched the person he believes himself to be.

“I’ve spent my entire career a little sad because of this—because of people who don’t know me, talking about me,” he admitted. “Not just about football, but everything else.”

Still, the criticism no longer affects him like it once did.

“I can look at [online hate], but it doesn’t hurt me. My football career will end one day. My name will remain in history, but it will end. What matters are the people who know me.”

Road to 2026: unfinished business

For Neymar, the 2026 World Cup offers a shot at redemption—a chance to close the international chapter of his career on his own terms.

In 2014, his tournament ended in agony with a fractured vertebra in Brazil’s ill-fated campaign on home soil. In 2018, he was the subject of ridicule more than reverence. In 2022, Brazil crashed out in the quarter-finals after a heart-breaking penalty shootout.

Now, at 34 by the time the next World Cup kicks off, Neymar knows it may be his last. But he also knows he still has something to offer.

His talent is not in question. Even in limited appearances for Santos, when fit, he’s shown flashes of the brilliance that once made him one of the most feared attackers in the world. And as long as his legs allow, Neymar believes he can help Brazil reclaim global dominance.

What next for Neymar?

While Neymar is contracted to Santos until the end of 2025, the next six months could be decisive. He’ll become a free agent in January, and depending on his form and fitness, a return to Europe—or perhaps even Major League Soccer—could be on the cards.

For now, though, his focus is local. Healing, rebuilding, training—and most importantly, enjoying football again.

This version of Neymar is not chasing approval. He’s chasing joy. And maybe, just maybe, one last taste of World Cup glory.

A final act—or a new beginning?

When Neymar left Barcelona for PSG in 2017, many believed he was chasing Ballon d’Or glory and global superstardom. What followed was a turbulent journey marked by brilliance and breakdowns in equal measure.

But in 2025, it’s not about the accolades anymore. It’s about the love—the kind that began on the streets of São Vicente and now continues at Santos. Neymar may not have many chapters left to write in his playing career, but he’s determined that the story won’t end until he says so.

And if the football gods allow it, there could be one last samba on the world’s grandest stage in 2026.