Neymar received praise from Santos boss Cuca following his team's 2-0 league win on Sunday, with Brazil set to announce their World Cup squad in the coming days.
Neymar, 34, scored the opener against Red Bull Bragantino and later received an ovation by the fans when he was replaced in the second half.
"Neymar played a very good game," Cuca said. "He held onto the ball, created chances, and had brilliant plays to score. He scored a fantastic goal and indirectly contributed to the second goal. He played a very good game. When he got tired, Gabriel Barbosa came on."
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker, who is hoping to play in his fourth World Cup this summer, was relieved that Santos ended a run of seven games without a win.
"I'm happy to have scored, to have helped the team and to win, which is the most important thing," Neymar told Globoesporte after the game.
"We hadn't won for some time." Neymar has struggled with fitness issues since he tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee on October 2023 while playing for Brazil.
He now has two more games to prove to Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti that he has regained his form.
Santos take on Coritiba in the Copa do Brasil in midweek and face them again on Sunday in the league, one day before Ancelotti announces his 26-man squad.
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