The forward Gabriel Barbosa ‘Gabigol’ He stated this Monday, during the presentation of his return as a player of the Saintswho is determined to help Neymar to return to the brazilian team and can thus dispute the 2026 World Cup.
“Neymar He is my idol and a friend; I played with him in the national team and we were always very happy on and off the field. We want to help Neymar because we need him in the World Cup“said the attacker, on loan from the club, at a press conference. Cruzeiro until the end of the year.
Reunion in Santos: the return home of two idols
Neymar and Gabigol They will meet again this season in the Saintsa club where both trained and took their first steps as professionals. However, his coexistence in the first team was minimal.
When Gabigol rose to the main squad, Neymar was already in the process of leaving to begin his successful stage in the FC Barcelonawhich limited their time together in the São Paulo club.
A partnership forged in the Brazilian team
Where they did share more experiences was in the brazilian teamwith which they achieved one of the greatest milestones in soccer in the country: the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
“We are here to help Neymar. We are very well, very happy to share a dressing room and to be able to be together again,” the forward insisted, making clear the good personal and sporting moment that both of them are experiencing.
Gabigol spoke with Neymar during the negotiations
The attacker revealed that he had conversations with Neymar during the negotiations between the Saints and the Cruzeiro. The former player of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Al-Hilal has just renewed his contract with ‘Peixe’ until the end of 2026reinforcing the club’s sports project.
However, Gabigol was emphatic in pointing out that the team’s success does not depend only on two figures.
Santos is looking for a strong team, not just two stars
The striker stressed that the Saints “it is not just Neymar and Gabigol”, but a group of “more than 11 players” who must work together to build a competitive teamcapable of fight for titles in Brazilian soccer.
Gabigol promises commitment and rules out a setback in his career
The former goalscorer of Flamengowith which he conquered two Libertadores Cups (2019 and 2022), confessed to being “very anxious” about his next re-debut with Santos and claimed to be in excellent physical shape.
“I’m doing very well, I’ve rested a lot on vacation and I’ve also trained. I’m still 29 years old, I think I’m young and I’ve never had a serious injury,” he stressed.
He also promised effort and dedication to the ‘Peixe’ fans and was forceful in rejecting that this return represents a setback, despite the club’s financial problems since in 2025 was close to descending to the Series B of the Brazilian Championship.
“If it is a step back to return to the best team on Earth, there is no better step back than that,” he declared confidently.
The return of Gabigol to Santosnext to Neymarexcites the fans and aims to become one of the most followed stories of the brazilian soccer heading to World Cup 2026.
Keep reading:
· Olympique Lyon presents Endrick as “one of the greatest talents” in the world and denies Real Madrid’s penalty
· Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the possible presence of Neymar Jr. in the 2026 World Cup
· Dani Alves could return to football after his time with the UNAM Pumas