February 18 – After 12 years away from his beloved Santos FC, Brazilian superstar Neymar has returned home in what has been billed as the second coming. In homage to the momentous transfer back to his boyhood club, Santos have unretired the iconic number 10 that was previously worn by the world’s greatest player, Pele.
While Santos do not have the means to pay Neymar the kind of money he received at Barcelona, PSG and Al Hilal, they are being creative in a number of ways.
Fans and collectors had the unique opportunity to own a piece of Neymar history, as his match-issued and signed shirt on his return to Santos, against Botafogo SP on February 6, was made available to bid for via the MatchWornShirt website, the home of match-worn and signed sporting memorabilia.
After the match, Neymar expressed being left speechless by the experience, stating: “I have no words to describe what I felt tonight.”
The winning bid was ultimately $13,606 and while an eye-catching figure, it pales in comparison to the most expensive number 10 shirt ever. That figure was $8.5 million for the 1986 ‘Hand of God’ jersey worn by the great Argentine, Diego Maradona.
During his first spell with Santos, Neymar was a phenom, playing 225 matches and scoring 136 goals, as well as providing 66 assists. He also won the biggest club tournament in South America, the Copa Libertadores.
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