Coutinho and Neymar together at Santos

Rio de Janeiro – Reuters – The Brazilian football club Santos announced that veteran midfielder Philippe Coutinho has rejoined former Brazil national team teammate Neymar at the club until the end of the current season.

Coutinho, 34, spent five years at English club Liverpool before joining Spanish side Barcelona in January 2018, where he won two La Liga titles with the club.

The players’ tenures at Barcelona did not overlap, as Neymar left the Spanish club to join French side Paris Saint-Germain in August 2017.

Santos posted a video of Coutinho’s arrival, showing him entering the locker room as Neymar welcomed him, saying, “If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.” The duo had never previously played together at the club level.

Coutinho, who played his last match for the Brazil national team in March 2022, returned to his childhood club Vasco da Gama after a loan spell at Qatari side Al-Duhail during the 2023-2024 season.

Meanwhile, Neymar, 34, returned to Santos last year. He announced his retirement from international football following Brazil’s exit in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup in July.