When Neymar joined Santos earlier in the year, it had all the hallmarks of a football fairytale.
The first few months, however, were an unmitigated disaster.
Neymar suffered a recurring hamstring injury, and Santos were languishing down in the relegation zone with six games to go.
The fairytale looked set to end in a nightmare relegation to Serie B.
And then the Neymar of old returned.
In the four games that have followed, Neymar has scored five and assisted another – despite carrying a meniscus injury that will likely require surgery in the off-season. His hat-trick against Juventude was his first since 2022.
Santos now sit 14th, outside the relegation but still perilously close to the drop with one game to go.
They host third-place Cruzeiro in the final gameweek, needing a win to confirm their survival. Should they fall to defeat and other results go against them, they could still go down.
Neymar will need to play through the pain and deliver one final piece of magic this season to secure survival for his boyhood club.
