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| EPAYonhap News |
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| EPAYonhap News |
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Was it the difference in motivation.
Neymar's return to his old team, Santos (Brazil), is unusual. Neymar played in the match against Paulista A1 Agua Santa, the Sao Paulo state league, on the 17th (Korea time) and scored on a penalty kick, contributing to his team's 3-1 victory.
Although it's a penalty, it means a lot to Neymar. The BBC reported that the goal ended Neymar's first goal drought in 16 months.
Neymar in al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) uniform after leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. He received an annual salary of 130 million pounds (about 233 billion won), but played only seven games until January and scored only one goal. In the end, al-Hilal signed Neymar out of contract on the grounds of injury. Even after investing in astronomical money, he was not paid a penny in transfer fees.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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However, Neymar became a different player after returning to his old team, Santos. In addition to training faithfully, he played in four games and played more than half of the total number of games he played for Al-Hilal in three years. Even though it was a penalty, he scored.
Neymar said after the game, `It's nice to play again. I feel like I'm improving (every game)." Then "It's difficult to say that it's 100% condition. I've only played four games, but I'm getting better"I want to dedicate today's goal to Santos fans and family," he added.
Neymar has a short-term contract to play for Santos until the end of June. Considering the age and injury history of entering his mid-30s, chances are high that he will end his career in Brazil. Neymar said "Santus helped me find joy in football again." It is a bittersweet comment for Al Hilal, who has invested hundreds of billions of won.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
