There’s disappointment within Brazil’s prestigious club, Santos, over Neymar Jr’s failure to return to the club from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. The president of Santos, Marcelo Teixeira, claimed that Neymar had contacted him, asking to keep his number 11 jersey until his return to the club.
Santos, in their dismay, have retired the iconic number 10 jersey, historically associated with the legendary Brazilian footballer Pelé, until their return to the top league.
Addressing the incident, Santos’ president stated, “Yesterday, I received a call from Neymar. He said to me, ‘President, you’ve retired the number 10 jersey until we return to the top league. Could you please also keep the number 11 jersey until then?’ I was happy to hear his words, and I am optimistic.”
Teixeira further mentioned that they would wait for Neymar’s return and communicate the desire to keep the number 11 jersey for the team until then. He expressed hope that, temporarily retiring the historic number would welcome Neymar back.
Neymar had signed a two-season contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal from PSG. Most of the time during this season, he’ll be off the field due to injury. If fit for the 2026 World Cup, Neymar could potentially rejoin Santos before that season, requiring Santos to return to the top league for this purpose.
