Philippe Coutinho has joined his close friend and Brazil team-mate Neymar at Santos FC until the end of the season. The former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder, 34, has been without a club since leaving Vasco da Gama in February. Coutinho returned to his childhood club in 2024 but left after 81 appearances, saying he was "tired mentally".

Santos welcomed the player on social media by posting an old photo of Coutinho and Neymar as teenagers, alongside a new version of them re-enacting the pose in the gym. The club also posted a video of Coutinho walking into the dressing room where he receives a hug from Neymar and says "if it's a dream, I don't want to wake up". Neymar returned to Santos, his childhood team, in January last year and this will be the first time that the friends have played together at club level.