The ex Barcelona and PSG superstar is on cloud nine under the former Rangers manager
Neymar has confessed his time at Santos under ex-Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha’s is “one of the best moments” of his life.
The Brazil superstar’s stunning comment came with a sting in the tail as he refused to rule out a potential return to his beloved Barcelona. The 33-year-old wracked up eight trophies in his four years in Spain, including three La Liga league titles and a Champions League winner’s medal. He moved to PSG for a world record £200m in 2017 where he won another 13 trophies before departing for Al-Hilal in 2023.
Despite his glamorous career, Neymar revealed his return to Santos under Caixinha could top the lot. Speaking before a tell-all interview on popular South American podcast Podpah, which has over nine million subscribers on Youtube, he was asked about his Santos future. He said: “Oh man. I don’t know, I don’t know. But it’s so hard. I’ve got five more months now, right? Six months. And I’m having one of the best moments of my life but anything can happen.”
Caixinha showered praise on Neymar just a few days earlier, and urged the Brazilian to be put on the Lionel Messi-sized pedestal for the 2026 World Cup. After Santos’ 3-0 win over Internacional de Limeira on Sunday, the Portuguese boss said: “Neymar is a football genius, but he is a very humble person, easy to get along with. He wants to win and compete. We have him at Santos as a cause. He could be at other levels of world football. This represents a lot of his relationship with Santos, the love he has for Santos, the confrontation zone he found here.”
He added: “Argentina did this with Messi. Brazil should do this with Neymar. Our responsibility is to help him grow, to make him feel confident, happy, that he wanted to play and make a difference. If he finds it here, he will find it in the national team. Things can happen.”