Neymar was set to be 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.” 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.

Brazil forward Neymar will return to his boyhood club Santos from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, he posted on social media on Thursday.

Neymar has reached an agreement to rejoin boyhood club Santos on a six-month contract after leaving Al Hilal. It was announced on January 27 that the 32-year-old had agreed to a mutual termination of his contract with the Saudi Pro League side.