RIO DE JANEIRO - Neymar is free to make his eagerly awaited return to action for Santos after he was officially registered by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old last week signed a six-month contract with the club that launched his career after ending an injury-hit spell at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal by mutual consent.
"Neymar is now registered (and) ... is cleared to play official matches with Santos," read a CBF statement. "The CBF welcomes Neymar and wishes him luck in this new stage of his career."
Neymar, who played for Santos from 2009 to 2013, is expected to line up for his original club in the home clash against Botafogo-SP on Wednesday.
The Brazilian national team's all-time leading scorer made just seven appearances for Al-Hilal following his August 2023 move from Paris Saint-Germain.
The forward sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament while playing for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023. He returned to the pitch in October last year but has since struggled for form and fitness.
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In a press conference last Friday, Neymar admitted he was not yet fully fit but said he was "ready and eager" to play.
"I need minutes, games. Just training won't get me into shape," he said. "I'll regain that over time. I'm in a better state than when I came back from injury (last October)."
Brazil manager Dorival Junior said Sunday that he expects Neymar to recapture his best form as the forward seeks to jumpstart his stalled career with Santos.
"Right now, this is what he needs: to play in a place where he feels the affection of his fans, the place where he was born and introduced himself to the world," Dorival told TV Globo.
"Now he is returning, still in a position to be a dominant player in world football. I have no doubt that is going to happen. Little by little he is recovering and he'll be an important player again."
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Despite praising the former Barcelona star, Dorival did not say whether Neymar - who played for Santos from 2009 to 2013 - was in his plans for Brazil's World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina in March.
