Philippe Coutinho Rejoins Neymar at Santos on Short-Term Deal
Philippe Coutinho has returned to professional football after signing a short-term contract with Santos, where he will again share a dressing room with childhood friend and former Brazil colleague Neymar.
Coutinho joins Santos until the end of the year
The 34-year-old playmaker had been unattached since leaving Vasco da Gama in February, having stepped away from the game after speaking of mental exhaustion. His agreement with Santos runs through to the end of the season, matching the duration of Neymar’s current stay at the club.
- Coutinho has signed for Santos until the end of the year.
- He will wear the No. 11 shirt.
- The former Liverpool and Barcelona player had not represented a club since his Vasco departure in February.
- His move brings him back together with Neymar, a friend since childhood and a former Brazil team-mate.
Santos will now look to build Coutinho back towards full match fitness as he resumes his career. The immediate task for the attacking midfielder is to regain sharpness and establish himself in the side before the campaign concludes.
Neymar’s messages helped prompt return
At his presentation, Coutinho credited Neymar with playing a central part in his decision to accept the Santos challenge. Neymar contacted him soon after he left Vasco, but Coutinho felt unable to contemplate playing again at that stage.
“Neymar had a very important part in bringing me here,” Coutinho said. “He is someone who does not need an introduction, a friend since we were children. I think he was the first football person to contact me after I left Vasco.”
Coutinho said Neymar messaged him the day after his Vasco exit, but his response reflected the state he was in at the time.
“I told him it would be a pleasure to play alongside him, but I was not well then and it was not possible. Returning did not make sense to me at that point.”
A renewed decision after time away
Neymar continued to check in with his friend over the following months. Coutinho explained that his answer initially remained unchanged, before a further message around two weeks ago made him reconsider the possibility of a comeback.
- Neymar first contacted Coutinho shortly after his departure from Vasco.
- A later message received the same response, with Coutinho still not ready to return.
- After another approach roughly two weeks ago, Coutinho reconsidered and decided he wanted to play again.
“He got in touch again months later and I gave him the same answer,” Coutinho said. “Then, two weeks ago, he wrote again. I took time to think about it and realised I wanted to return to football. I thought, ‘Why not?’ It is a major club and a different city.
“It would not have been fair on myself to be unable to work again or to play again. I want to thank the president, Mattos and Ney. I am pleased to take on this challenge.”
The prospect of Coutinho and Neymar combining in Santos’ white kit will be one of the principal storylines of the Brazilian season, with both players contracted through the end of the year.
