In a video posted on social media, Neymar confirmed what had long been known: the Brazilian star is returning to Peixe.
He began: "I couldn't hold out until tomorrow, my family and friends already know about my decision. I'm going to sign a contract with Santos, I want to thank the fans all over the world who wanted this moment so much.
"Almost 12 years have passed since I left the most famous Vila in the world, and my feeling for the club has never changed."
The number 10 then looked back on the last two unlucky years at Al Hilal under Jorge Jesus, where he suffered a serious injury and played very few games
"I had an incredible time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia welcomed me in a surreal way, I was very happy here. But I had a very serious injury that prevented me from repaying that affection on the pitch, as I would have liked.
"I'll be cheering for the World Cup in 2034, the Saudis deserve it, but I need to play again. Only a club like Santos can give me the affection I need," he said.
He finished: "All of you, regardless of which club you support, know what I'm talking about. I hope you'll all be with me in this new stage, I'm grateful to everyone who has supported me even in the most difficult times, which have been many. I'm only happy playing football, which is my favourite thing in life.
"It's a pride that not everyone can have."
It's worth remembering that Santos had Neymar's presentation planned for Saturday, the day they play Sao Paulo at Vila Belmiro. T
he club wanted to show their new player in Sao Paulo, where he will land, but due to a bureaucratic delay in leaving Saudi Arabia, they changed their plans.