Neymar Pays Tribute to Vinicius Junior After Milestone Moment for Santos
Neymar bagged his first goal of 2026 on Thursday night and celebrated by imitating his fellow countryman Vinicius Junior’s dance moves at the corner flag.
The Real Madrid No. 7 has been at the center of a racial storm over the last week, and it all started with his trademark dancing after he scored a spectacular goal against Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League knockout phase playoffs.
The referee perplexingly booked Vinicius Jr for his celebration and then Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni allegedly hurled racial abuse his way. José Mourinho then insinuated the Brazilian’s dancing antagonized such a reaction.
Vinicius Jr had the last laugh, though, when he sealed the tie with another great individual goal and hit the dance again, this time at the Bernabéu. Now, Neymar joined in on the fun all the way from Brazil, honoring his Seleção teammate with the same exact moves.
Neymar Jr hits the Vinicius Jr celebration after scoring for Santos! 🕺🏾🇧🇷@TeamNey10 🎥 pic.twitter.com/CK2NJiXMzO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 26, 2026
Neymar Makes Statement in Santos Win
Neymar might have gone viral for his tribute, but he also lit up the pitch in Santos’ 2–1 win over Vasco da Gama. The 34-year-old opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a calm right-footed finish into the bottom right corner, eerily similar to the goal Vinicius Jr scored in the second leg against Benfica.
The visitors bagged an equalizer on the brink of halftime, but Neymar once again sprung to life in the second half, this time with a classy chip over the goalkeeper to secure the victory for his boyhood club.
The brace is only the second time in the last six months Neymar scored more than one goal in a match, and it was also the first time he found the back of the net since returning from injury.
“Last week they said I was the worst player in the world,” the Brazilian icon said after the match to SporTV. “Soccer is like that ... one day you are retired, another you have to go to the World Cup. I’m living one day at a time. I’m working, getting in the best possible form.”
How Neymar Can Make Carlo Ancelotti’s Squad for the 2026 World Cup
New Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti has yet to call up Neymar since he took over the national team last May. Instead, the Italian manager has made a point to give young talent, like Estêvão and João Pedro, opportunities to impress.
Of course, Neymar’s fitness struggles also prevented Ancelotti from calling on the services of Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer. But now the Barcelona legend is fit and back to scoring goals at perhaps the perfect time.
Yet the only way Neymar will make Ancelotti’s World Cup squad is if he stays healthy for an extended period of time. Another setback or new injury would all but eliminate the already slim possibility of the forward featuring in the United States, Canada and Mexico in just four months.
Should Neymar remain fit and fully rediscover his form, it would be hard for Ancelotti to leave him home this summer. The first real test will come in one month, when the 66-year-old names his squad for Brazil’s March friendlies against France and Croatia.
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