Neymar hits Olimpico goal in Santos win over Limeira

Brazil star Neymar scored an Olimpico goal on Sunday and provided 2 assists with Santos in a 3-0 win over Inter Limeira in the last day of the group stage of the Campeonato Paulista.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player kicked from the corner kick with great effect and the ball hit the crossbar into the goal of the Inter Limeira goalkeeper, in the 27th minute.

It was the No 10's second goal since returning to the Albinese side after terminating his million-dollar contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, for whom he played just seven games in 17 months due to a serious knee injury.

The Inter de Limeira fans, who were whistling at him just before, could only stand up and applaud the attacker's stunner, one of the most spectacular goals of his career.

“No text will suffice to explain the Olimpicogoal Neymar just scored. The 'Prince' is unreal (...) A historic goal!”, celebrated Santos on his social networks, from where Pele also emerged.

The Brazilian striker was voted player of the match and, speaking to the local media on the pitch, explained how he saw the Olimpico goal and expressed his desire to return to the national team.

“The stands provoked me, I told them to shout more and I gave the first assist to Tiquinho. The second time the same thing happened, but that time I scored,” he said.

'O menino Ney' affirmed that he feels “better and better physically” and, in this sense, he hopes to wear the 'Selecao' jersey again soon. “For me it was always a great honour to defend the national team,” he added.

The former Al-Hilal player also spoke about the campaign he is leading with other big names in Brazilian football in defence of natural turf, as opposed to synthetic turf, which is becoming more and more common in the country's stadiums.

“We are fighting for the grass to be good, natural, which is the best. It should be mandatory to have a field in good condition, it would help Brazilian football,” he said.

 

February 23, 2025