Neymar family’s growing sway at Santos spans signings, kit, stadium and operations | OneFootball

Neymar’s family have extended their reach across Santos, from recruitment to kit inventory, stadium spaces and daily routines. According to Globo.com, that influence has deepened since his return to Brazil and is expected to continue regardless of any contract renewal at the end of the year.

Philippe Coutinho, the club’s most eye-catching addition this season, arrived in the Baixada Santista on an NR Sports plane after almost eight months without playing, with the board acting on Neymar’s request. Days earlier, Arthur joined after talks initiated by the agency, and only came in after the family insisted and NR Sports paid the club’s transfer ban in exchange for shirt real estate now in use.

The Pelé brand now belongs to NR Sports, whose logo appears on the front hem of the shirt between the crest and Umbro, while the back carries the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr logo.

Santos owe NR Sports R$ 90 million for image rights from Neymar’s first six months back, now scheduled in instalments until mid 2033 at roughly R$ one million per month. Around R$ 11 million was paid mid-year, much of it funded by the sale of Luca Meirelles to Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine.

The debt has narrowed the club’s room to refuse requests, with Neymar’s staff enjoying open access and the player arriving on the day of a decisive Copa do Brasil round of 16 tie against Remo in Belém due to personal commitments.

A proposed home game at Nubank Parque won backing from Palmeiras president Leila Pereira and WTorre, but was dropped after the player’s staff rejected it. A 2025 plan, fronted by Neymar’s father, for a new training centre and miniarena in Praia Grande has stalled and is under investigation by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office over the planned area near Parque Estadual Xixová-Japuí.

Focus has shifted to upgrading Vila Belmiro. Before the current board’s wider modernisation, Neymar’s father financed improvements including a fully refurbished dressing room with a bulletproof door, hospitality behind a goal with meals, 160 tickets for families and 25 for club greats, an NR Sports reception lounge for about 300 guests per match, and a refurbished box for Neymar above the press tribunes.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”