In a much-anticipated return to his first club Santos, the Brazilian star took to the field against Botafogo.Brazilian forward Neymar made his long-awaited return to his childhood club Santos in a lacklustre 1-1 draw with Botafogo in the Brazilian Paulista Championship.
The Urbano Caldeira stadium erupted in celebration as jubilant and tearful fans lit up their mobile phones to give the striker, who left the club 12 years ago, a hero’s welcome before kickoff on Wednesday.
Neymar, who was celebrating his 33rd birthday, started on the bench and came on after the break as Santos had taken the lead through Tiquinho Soares’ first-half penalty.
However, the forward struggled under the pressure of his first game in 16 months.
He tried to conjure up some of the magic that had placed him among the world’s best for five years at Barcelona, but it wasn’t enough.
Botafogo equalised through Alexandre de Jesus in the 67th minute. Wallison was sent off four minutes later for a foul on Neymar but Santos were unable to take advantage of their superior numbers.
“I can’t find the words to express the feeling when you love something. I love Santos very much and I can’t find the words to describe the feeling I felt when I stepped out onto the pitch today,” Neymar said after the match. Adverti …
