Neymar scores a hat-trick to boost Santos’ survival hopes

Neymar played through a knee injury to score a hat-trick and lift his boyhood club Santos out of the relegation zone in the Brazilian Serie A.

The 33-year-old former Barcelona and Paris St. Germain forward scored three times in 17 minutes to secure a 3-0 win at Juventude on Wednesday night, leaving Santos two points clear of the bottom four with one match remaining.

Neymar has been struggling with injuries for a long time and has not represented Brazil since October 2023.

Brazilian coach Carlo Ancelotti said in October that Neymar is sticking to his plans for next year’s World Cup, but the striker must return to full fitness.

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Neymar scored five goals and provided one assist in the last three matches, helping Santos pick up seven points and lift the team to fourteenth place in the table.

Santos hosts Cruzeiro on Sunday in the final match of the campaign.

Published on December 4, 2025