Neymar Speaks About His “Olympic Goal” For Santos

Brazilian football sensation, Neymar expressed his joy after stunning fans with a remarkable goal directly from a corner kick during Santos’ commanding 3-0 win against Internacional de Limeira in the Paulista Championship on Sunday.

After the match, Neymar, 33, recounted how he turned the jeers from the home crowd into motivation, culminating in an extraordinary “Olympic goal.”

“I approached the corner, and they began to taunt me,” Neymar shared. “I encouraged them to cheer even louder. I initially aimed for an assist, then as I returned for a second corner and faced more provocation, I thought to myself: ‘Now it’s my turn to score!’” He chuckled as he recalled the moment.

With a perfectly executed strike, Neymar netted his first-ever “Olympic goal” in the 27th minute. The shot curled delectably in from the left side, catching goalkeeper Igo Gabriel unprepared as it rattled the far post before crossing the line. The brilliance of the goal was so striking that even the rival fans were compelled to applaud.

Having returned to Santos in January on a temporary six-month agreement, Neymar is diligently working to regain his form after battling injuries that limited him to a mere seven appearances for Al Hilal over the past 18 months.

“I’m taking it one game at a time, gradually finding my rhythm and feeling increasingly better on the pitch,” he explained. “While I can’t turn back the clock to when I was 19—oh, how I miss those days—I feel more at ease and sharper now.”

Neymar’s aspirations also include a call-up to the Brazil national team as they gear up for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina.

“Regarding the possibility of being called up, I’m available,” Neymar remarked. “Every player dreams of representing their country, and for me, it’s always been a tremendous honour. If I get the chance to return, I would be absolutely thrilled.”

Brazil’s head coach is set to announce his squad on March 7. As Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, Neymar has not donned the national team colours since suffering a serious ACL injury in October 2023.