Neymar key to Santos move for Philippe Coutinho as friends finally unite | OneFootball

Neymar has been pivotal in bringing Philippe Coutinho to Santos, the close friends finally set to play for the same club until year-end.

According to Globo.com, the No 10 urged the board to sign Coutinho and called him personally after seven months without a game since leaving Vasco.

With help from Neymar's family company, Santos lifted a transfer ban and resumed signings, adding Arthur, Rodinei, Lima and Everton Cebolinha.

They rose together through Brazil's youth sides from under-16, then impressed under Tite in 2018 World Cup qualifying and went to Russia.

The club dream receded as Neymar left Barcelona for PSG in 2017, then Coutinho joined Barcelona. They met only once in Europe, when Bayern Munich beat PSG in the 2020 Champions League final. In Brazil, their sole meeting was Vasco's 6-0 win over Santos in 2025, when Coutinho scored twice.

In 2014, Coutinho, then Liverpool's No 10, said he was upset to miss that World Cup and praised Neymar's upbeat presence, even joking about table tennis. Neymar said they were very close in the youth ranks but drifted due to distance.

They are not expected to play much together immediately, with Neymar recovering from an injury and Coutinho regaining fitness. The pair could feature late in the Brasileirão and in later Sudamericana rounds if Santos progress past Atlético-MG in the quarter-finals. Neymar's deal runs to year-end and Coutinho has a three-month contract to early December, with both uncertain for 2027.

Source: Globo.com

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