Neymar unsure if he'll continue playing once Santos contact expires

Neymar has not ruled out retiring from club football once his contract with Santos expires at the end of the year.

The veteran forward has played in three of Santos' last four games since returning to the club after competing in what was his fourth World Cup for Brazil.

Neymar, who last week confirmed his retirement from international duty, says he has not made a decision regarding his club future.

"I don't know how long [I'll keep playing], I'm not thinking about stopping, nor do I know how long I'll carry on," Neymar, 34, told his YouTube channel on Monday. He was attending the Neymar Jr. Institute auction in São Paulo on the same day.

"I have a contract with Santos until December. I intend to see it through, to honour the Santos shirt as best I can, and then I'll think about it when my contract ends -- whether I stay at Santos, leave, move on, stop playing or carry on. I really don't know what I'm going to do.

"There's still a long way to go until December, so let's take it one step at a time."

Neymar is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 80 goals but muscular injuries limited him to just two of Brazil's five games at this summer's World Cup.

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"I'm feeling good physically, more and more so, out on the pitch," Neymar said. "And that's what matters. "I want to always improve even if I'm at the end of my career. I'm very happy to have experienced what I've experienced up to now. I'm very grateful to God for what he has given me. I have nothing to complain about my career."

Neymar returned to boyhood club Santos in January 2025 looking to regain his fitness after an injury-plagued stint with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal. Having helped the club avoid relegation, the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star extended his contact with Santos until December.