Welcome home Neymar! The Brazilian star returns to his boyhood club and everyone's celebrating

SANTOS, Brazil (AP) — A tearful Neymar was welcomed back to his boyhood club on Friday by thousands of Santos fans and a concert in the home stadium beneath an electronic sign saying, “The prince is back.”

The 32-year-old signed a six-month contract, which he said could be extended.

Neymar later admitted his return was also due to his feeling unhappy at Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal earlier this year as he struggled to get playing time. He said he would be ready to play for Santos at least 30 minutes in a match scheduled for Saturday if he was given the go-ahead by local soccer authorities.

About 20,000 raucous Santos fans filled their Vila Belmiro Stadium in the rain outside Sao Paulo to celebrate the Brazilian's return.

His evening arrival highlighted by fireworks capped a three-hour fiesta which also featured local singers.

“I am very happy. We lived great moments here. There's still a lot that could come,” Neymar said on the pitch."

Neymar said at a media conference that he and his family had adapted well to Saudi Arabia, but his lack of playing time since his return from an ACL injury — he hasn't played since November — forced his move.

“Some decisions are not about soccer logic,” Neymar said. "I started getting sad in training sessions (at Al-Hilal), and it wasn't good for my head. So there was the chance to come back and I did not think twice. Since the first day I decided I wanted to come back, I told my father (and agent) and it all worked.”

The striker signed his contract upon arrival and added it is “too soon to speak” about extending his deal until the 2026 World Cup, which he says will be the last he will play in his career. He also said his return home is a “rescue” for his own soccer soul.

“Santos gave me the chance to come back. I gave away a lot of things to be here. It was a perfect marriage at an unimaginable moment for both parts. Still, it happened,” Neymar said. “We have a six-month contract that can obviously be extended. Two weeks ago I didn't even think I would be here.”

Neymar also said he has “one more thing to win, a mission that will be the last.”

“I am going after this World Cup trophy in any way I can. I have goals,” said Neymar, who is Brazil's all-time top goal scorer with 79 goals in 125 matches.

Shortly before, Neymar greeted his future teammates and club executives at the Santos training ground.

Neymar's private jet landed in the Sao Paulo state countryside from Saudi Arabia in the morning but he requested a few hours of rest before being flown into Santos by helicopter.

Banners reading “The prince is back” were selling for 10 reais ($1.50) outside the 20,000-seat Vila Belmiro Stadium.

Graffiti inspired by artificial intelligence outside the stadium showed Neymar looking more mature and with a crown on his head — no small feat in a city where Pelé was king for decades until he died in December 2022 at age 82.

Video posted by Santos on social media showed Neymar not wearing the No. 11 that was his during his first spell from 2009-13. He will wear Pelé’s No. 10.

"It will be an honor to wear this sacred jersey,” Neymar said in the video.

Saudi club Al-Hilal terminated Neymar's contract with mutual consent this week, six months early, after playing only seven matches and scoring once since September 2023. The ACL injury sidelined him for a year until October. Al-Hilal said Neymar could no longer perform like he used to.

Neymar also left Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to criticism, even though he delivered silverware and goals. On Thursday, he said he hopes to get some love back home, where he is revered.

Former teammates appeared in a video to congratulate Neymar on the move, including Luis Suárez, Gianluigi Buffon, Andres Iniesta and Rodrygo.

Neymar played 225 matches for Santos in his first spell. He scored 138 goals, many of them key to winning six titles at the Brazilian giant, which was relegated in 2023 and returned to the top division last year.

“For us, Neymar's return is a rebirth,” said Victor Hugo Arantes, 45, an event producer in Santos. “We weren't expecting this. Neymar could play anywhere else, he has the level to be in top leagues. I think his heart spoke louder.”

Neymar was the most expensive player in soccer history when he transferred from Barcelona to PSG for 222 million euros (then $262 million) in 2017. He was sold to Al-Hilal in 2023 for 90 million euros ($94 million).

Anderson Souza, 43, lives in Santos and is not a supporter of the club. But he is one of those who believes Neymar will put the city back on the map after some tough times.

“Pelé died, the team was relegated, there was a lot of gloom. I hope he is bringing some energy back, people need it,” Souza said. “But he needs to know that people will want him to perform, to make an effort for them, to be at his best. Santos fans love him, but they are not fools.”

Neymar said soccer fans like Souza do not need to worry.

“I am not here to take a stroll, I didn't come to stay home on my couch," Neymar said. “I came after my happiness as a soccer player and to help Santos.”

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Brazilian soccer player Neymar waves to fans during his presentation ceremony after signing a six-month contract with Santos FC at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazilian soccer player Neymar, center, enters the pitch during his presentation ceremony after signing a six-month contract with Santos FC at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazilian soccer player Neymar greets fans during his presentation ceremony after signing a six-month contract with Santos FC at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazilian soccer player Neymar, center, waves to fans during his presentation ceremony after signing a six-month contract with Santos FC at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazilian soccer player Neymar reacts during his presentation ceremony after signing a six-month contract with Santos FC at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazilian soccer player Neymar waves to fans during his presentation ceremony after signing a six-month contract with Santos FC at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazilian soccer player Neymar waves to fans during his presentation ceremony after signing a six-month contract with Santos FC at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Jerseys of Brazilian soccer player Neymar are displayed at the Santos FC club store at Vila Belmiro Stadium before A ceremony presenting him as the club's new player in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

A mural of Brazilian soccer player Neymar is painted next to Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, before a ceremony presenting him as a new Santos FC player. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)