- Two different generations of talent from the Baixada Santista side reunite to help Peixe in its quest for a new continental title.
- Santos will learn its Group Stage opponents in the draw on March 19.
The mystique surrounding Santos’ Meninos da Vila spans generations of fans—from Pelé to Diego and Paulo Henrique Ganso, and more recently Rodrygo—just to name a few of the stars who began their careers at Vila Belmiro. Among them, two familiar faces will now be tasked with keeping that legacy alive in this edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Neymar and Gabriel Barbosa.
Although they have shared the pitch on several occasions with the Brazilian national team, the two Santos prodigies have played very few matches together wearing the club’s black-and-white shirt. 'Gabigol'’s debut in 2013 coincided with Neymar’s farewell to the club, marking the brief overlap between their careers at Santos.
During that period, their most significant shared success came with Brazil’s Olympic team in 2016, where they combined for six goals in six matches, all as starters, culminating in a historic gold medal.
With the senior national team, they played three matches together in the 2021 Copa América—both scoring in a 3–0 win over Venezuela—and featured in four World Cup qualifying matches for Qatar 2022, once again finding the net together in a 4–1 victory over Uruguay.
After his spell at Al-Hilal, Neymar returned to Santos at the beginning of 2025, but a series of injuries limited him to just 14 appearances throughout the year. Meanwhile, 'Gabigol' rejoined Peixe at the start of 2026. During his presentation at his new-old club, the striker was quick to praise his teammate:
“Everyone knows Neymar is my idol and also a friend. I’ve had the chance to play with him for the national team. We’ve always been very happy both on and off the pitch. What we really want—not just me, but all the players—is to help him get back to 100%, because we need him for the World Cup. And also to help Santos be where it belongs, which is always competing for titles.”
In this year’s Campeonato Paulista, the two played together in two matches, including a dominant 6–0 win over Velo Clube, in which Neymar provided an assist for one of 'Gabigol'’s goals. In the Brazilian league, however, the duo shared the pitch only once—a 1–1 draw against Corinthians, with Santos’ goal once again scored by 'Gabigol'.
Neymar and Gabigol together: 16 goals and just two defeats
Across the matches in which they have shared the pitch, Neymar and Gabigol have built an impressive record, combining for 16 goals and suffering only two defeats—highlighting the impact of their partnership over time.
Their joint appearances include:
Brazilian League 2013
Santos 0–0 Flamengo
Olympic Games Rio 2016
Brazil 0–0 South Africa
Brazil 0–0 Iraq
Denmark 0–4 Brazil (2 goals by Gabigol)
Brazil 2–0 Colombia (1 goal by Neymar)
Brazil 6–0 Honduras (2 goals by Neymar)
Brazil 1–1 Germany (Brazil won on penalties) (1 goal by Neymar)
Copa América 2021
Brazil 3–0 Venezuela (1 goal by Gabigol, 1 by Neymar)
Brazil 2–1 Colombia
Argentina 1–0 Brazil
2022 World Cup Qualifiers
Paraguay 0–2 Brazil (1 goal by Neymar)
Chile 0–1 Brazil
Colombia 0–0 Brazil
Brazil 4–1 Uruguay (1 goal by Gabigol, 1 by Neymar)
Campeonato Paulista 2026
Santos 6–0 Velo Clube (2 goals by Gabigol)
Novorizontino 2–1 Santos
Brazilian League 2026 (ongoing)
Santos 1–1 Corinthians (1 goal by Gabigol)
A partnership forged across different stages of their careers, Neymar and Gabigol have consistently delivered goals and results—now aiming to replicate that chemistry with Santos on the continental stage.
The history of Santos’ Meninos da Vila in continental competitions is extensive. The legendary teams that won the CONMEBOL Libertadores in 1962 and 1963 were filled with young talents developed at Vila Belmiro, such as Coutinho, Pepe, and, of course, Pelé. In 2011, Neymar was the leading figure—alongside Paulo Henrique Ganso—in guiding the club back to the top of South American football.
Gabigol never reached Eternal Glory wearing Santos’ shirt, but he left his mark at Flamengo, where he won the CONMEBOL Libertadores twice, in 2019 and 2022, scoring three goals in finals.
