Check out the Santos players who shone in the 2025 season | OneFootball

The Santos season was filled with emotion. Off the field, the backstage of Peixão was bustling: Neymar's arrival and hope for the fans, transfer ban, administrative chaos, financial issues, and distrust towards president Marcelo Teixeira. On the field, the scenario didn't change, as the team from Baixada fought until the last round of the Brasileirão to avoid relegation. However, amid the difficulties, the Alvinegro had some important highlights. Thus, Gazeta Esportiva selected the best players of the club this season. Check it out!

Gabriel Brazão

The Santos goalkeeper was the standout in 2025. A key player for Peixe's stay in the top tier of the Brazilian Championship, Brazão was an undisputed starter throughout the season and ended 2025 as the player with the most appearances for the club, playing in 53 of the 54 matches. A constant highlight in the Brasileirão, the goalkeeper made decisive saves in important matches, such as against Cruzeiro, Botafogo, and Vitória, and finished the competition as the goalkeeper with the most saves, totaling 127 interventions in 38 rounds, according to Sofascore.

The performance increased the value of the number 1 in the market and attracted interest from clubs in Brazil and abroad, with Flamengo among those monitoring the situation. Santos, however, does not intend to negotiate him and relies on a release clause of 70 million euros. Both Brazão and the Santos board have shown calm and optimism regarding the goalkeeper's stay for the next season.

Check Brazão's statistics this season:

Gabriel Brazão. (Photo: Raul Baretta/Santos FC)

Barreal

Barreal stood out individually and experienced the best year of his career in numbers. The top scorer for Peixe in the Brasileirão, the Argentine scored nine goals and provided one assist in 34 matches in the competition, in addition to totaling nine goals and one assist in 37 matches throughout the season. Versatile, he played in different offensive roles and was decisive in important games, such as against Internacional and Corinthians, surpassing his previous best numbers recorded at Cincinnati.

Loaned by the North American club until the end of 2025, Barreal reached goals that led Santos to exercise the purchase option. The board secured the striker's stay until 2028, in a deal valued at around 4 million dollars (approximately R$ 21.7 million), betting on the player's potential and consolidation as an important part of the squad for 2026.

Check Barreal's statistics this season:

Barreal (Photo: Raul Baretta/Santos FC)

Neymar

Neymar joined the club in the middle of the Paulistão after terminating his contract with Al Hilal, surrounded by expectations to lead the team in a turbulent year. Amid injuries and fluctuations, the number 10 took on a leading role in the final rounds of the Brasileirão and was decisive in the surge that ensured Peixe's stay in Serie A. Even injured, he played the last three games in sacrifice and scored four goals after being diagnosed with a meniscus injury in his left knee. After the 3-0 victory over Cruzeiro, which definitively eliminated the risk of relegation and secured 12th place and a spot in the 2026 South American Cup, Neymar celebrated the relief on social media: “I confess it was on the edge, it was with grit... but it was for you, Santos!”

In 2025, Neymar played 28 matches for the club, with 11 goals and four assists. In the Brasileirão, he scored eight goals and provided one assist in 20 games, with a highlight in the last four matches, where he scored five times and provided a decisive pass. The forward will undergo surgery in the coming days and stated that the main goal is to be fully recovered for the World Cup, which will be held from June in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Check Neymar's statistics this season:

Neymar. (Photo: Raul Baretta/Santos FC)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.