Neymar’s father took part in one of the most recent episodes of the ‘Roundcast’ podcast, where he was asked about the near future of his son, who has a contract with Al Hilal until 2025 and has been widely tipped to return to Santos. His father stressed how free they feel to manage the career of the star, who does not rule out returning to his native country to play for the team of his roots.Neymar has only made seven appearances for Al Hilal, but there is already talk of his possible departure. The former PSG player joined the Saudi side in the summer of 2023 in an 80 million euro deal that was ultimately cut short by a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. This serious injury and another injury he suffered upon his return have kept him out of the pitch, and they may have to say goodbye to Saudi Arabia soon.

In recent weeks, his possible return to Santos, the club in his native country where he made his name before signing for Barcelona, has been much talked about. Among crossed declarations of members of the Brazilian side board and his agent, another voice has emerged: that of his father. In one of the most recent chapters of the ‘Roundcast’ podcast, he commented on the near future of his son and did not rule out the return that is expected.

“Let’s wait and see what happens and how Neymar will really feel. He will be free to decide. We have never been so free to decide where we go and to have a 32-year-old free in our hands is a gift for any businessman. Neymar is under contract until 2025. We don’t know anything else. I see there are rumours going around and we have started to prepare for it. The market is waiting to see how he recovers, but he always comes back better than he was and this time will be no different,” he said.

Asked about the new Club World Cup, he replied, “All the clubs will be there and Al Hilal will be there: they earned their place. They have one of the biggest stars they could have to compete and a guy with experience in this kind of tournament. That’s why they didn’t give up the second year of Neymar’s contract.” He also confessed that, at the beginning of his career, the only clear idea was to sign for Barcelona.