After nearly 12 years playing for European giants and a short stint in Saudi Arabia, Neymar has made his return to professional football in Brazil.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star came off the bench at the start of the second half for his boyhood club Santos during their Campeonato Paulista match against Botafogo SP on Wednesday at Estádio Vila Belmiro.

Santos led 1-0 when Neymar entered the game, but a second-half equalizer saw the match end in a 1-1 draw.

"I love Santos. I can’t describe what I felt stepping onto this pitch again," Neymar said post-match. Named the game's best player, he admitted he was not yet at peak fitness but took positives from his first match in over three months. "I need minutes, more games. I'm not at 100 percent yet, but I’ll improve in four or five matches," he added.

Real Madrid's woes on defence compounded by new Alaba injury

Neymar, who turned 33 on Wednesday, rejoined Santos on January 31 with a six-month contract that the club hopes to extend through the 2026 World Cup. He previously won six titles with Santos, including the 2011 Copa Libertadores.

Once regarded as one of the world’s best players, Neymar left Santos for Barcelona in 2013 before making a record-breaking €222 million ($262 million) transfer to PSG in 2017.

In 2023, he moved to Saudi club Al-Hilal but suffered an ACL injury while playing for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier. Despite his absence, Al-Hilal won the Saudi league, but the club omitted him from their squad for the second half of the season. With no place in manager Jorge Jesus' plans, speculation of Neymar’s return to Santos gained momentum before his comeback.

His contract with Al-Hilal, reportedly one of the most lucrative in football, was due to expire after the FIFA Club World Cup in July.

Sources: Agencies