🥳 Is this the moment? Neymar turns 34 as he nears his return to action | OneFootball

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior turns 34 years old this Wednesday (5).

And he lives with the expectation of making his season debut next Sunday (8).

On the day when Santos – who are hovering near the relegation zone of the Paulistão – will host Capivariano.

The number 10’s focus will be to make a difference for a faltering Peixe.

And, as a consequence, show that he can be an option for the Brazilian National Team in the upcoming World Cup. 

Only 28 games in 2025

Neymar made his re-debut for Peixe exactly a year ago, against Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto.

He struggled with muscle injuries and played only 27 more matches until the end of the season. 

He was on the field for 58.3% of the games Santos played in 2025. 

But he managed to make a difference to keep the team in Serie A.

He totaled 11 goals and eight assists. 

Playing more than 30 games became a ‘mission’ 🙄

Neymar has only surpassed that number of games once since 2016/2017, his last season wearing Barcelona’s shirt.

It was in 2020/2021, when he played 31 times for PSG. 

He reached 30 games right after arriving at the French club and, after that, his maximum was 29 appearances in 2022/2023.

📅 FIFA dates are coming...

Neymar was even called up last year to play for Brazil against Colombia and Argentina.

But he was dropped after suffering the first of three muscle injuries he had last year. 

The only chances he’ll have to play for the National Team before the World Cup will be in the friendlies against France and Croatia, which will be played on March 26 and 31, respectively. 

Will Ney be flying and get called up by Ancelotti?

Share your opinion in the comments!

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

📸 Ricardo Moreira - 2025 Getty Images