It’s been a long time since Neymar last played a Brasileirao match before heading to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2013 — specifically, 4,340 days. That last match was a draw between Flamengo and Santos at the Mané Garrincha Stadium. This time around, however, Santos was defeated on their visit to the Maracanã to face Fluminense.

Neymar played with Santos in the Brasileirao more than 11 years later

Out since March 3rd after suffering an injury in the quarterfinals of the Campeonato Paulista against RB Bragantino — an injury that ruined his return to Brazil just ahead of the last FIFA international break — Neymar returned for the third round of the Brasileirao against Fluminense, clearly aiming to help Santos secure their first win of the season after being promoted back to the top tier of Brazilian soccer.

As expected, Pedro Caixinha didn’t want to take any risks despite Santos’ urgency, and Neymar started the match on the bench. But after creating little danger in the first half, he subbed Neymar in at halftime for Rollheiser, positioning him as an attacking midfielder… but truth be told, not much changed for Santos.

"I want to play"

It was obvious Neymar wanted to show something and please the fans at Maracanã. However, he looked rusty. In fact, he only made one key pass, completed just two of six dribble attempts… and lost the ball 15 times in just 41 touches. The frustration was clear on Neymar’s face, and just 15 minutes after coming on, he picked up a yellow card for hitting an opponent in the face with his hand.

Still, Neymar made it clear after the match that he felt fully fit: "I want to play. Since I came back to Brazil, I’ve been 100% available. But obviously, I respect the coach, the medical staff, and we’ll see. I’m healthy, and I felt good today. I moved well.” But it wasn’t enough to prevent Santos’ stoppage-time loss, which leaves them stuck in the relegation zone in the Brasileirao.