🕰️ How the world was when Neymar last wore Santos' shirt | OneFootball

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

Related to this round of the Paulista, Neymar is very close to making his re-debut for Santos, this Wednesday (5), against Botafogo-SP.

The expectation is that the star will enter the game in the second half, marking the return of the number 10 shirt to Brazilian football.

The ace, who was formed in the youth categories of Peixe, left Vila Belmiro on May 26, 2013, when he transferred to Barcelona, after a 0-0 draw with Flamengo at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasília, in the Brazilian championship.

After winning everything with the Spanish giant, Neymar went to PSG in 2017, and in 2023, he transferred to Al-Hilal, from Saudi Arabia.

So, do you remember how the world was 11 years ago?

Of course, a lot has happened in this last decade.

A pandemic, for example, was something only seen in history books. No one imagined living what happened in 2020 and 2021, especially.

Technologically, the social network "X" was still known worldwide as "Twitter". And, of course, the use of artificial intelligences was not yet so explored and seemed more like a futuristic movie.

So, to not get too long, let's just cite some sports facts, ok?

The only World Cup played in Brazil had been in 1950;. In other words, taking a 7-1 in a World Cup semi-final was unimaginable in the country of football

The Brazilian national team had not yet won a gold medal in the Olympic Games, which happened in 2016 and, later, in 2021;. Moreover, no city in the country had hosted an edition of the Olympics. This only happened in Rio 2016

Argentina was still only a two-time world champion. Our "hermanos", in fact, were living a long drought of titles, which had been going on since 1993, when they won the Copa América of that year, in Ecuador. We don't even need to remember that the drought ended in 2021 with the Copa América of that year, at the Maracanã, and, the following year, becoming a three-time world champion in Qatar

Speaking of Copa América, Chile had NEVER been champion of the continental tournament of national teams, which ended up happening with the bicampeonato in 2015 and 2016

Gabigol made his professional debut for Santos on the day of Neymar's farewell

Fluminense and Botafogo could not even imagine being champions of the Libertadores, which happened in 2023 and 2024, respectively

Palmeiras had no Copa do Brasil, which only happened in 2022

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were living the peak of the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid and disputed the title of Best in the World year after year. In 2012, the Argentine won the trophy. The following year, it was the Portuguese's turn

In 2013, Chapecoense had a historic campaign in the Serie B, with 20 wins, 12 draws, and six losses, and achieved the unprecedented promotion to the elite of Brazilian football. Three years later, the country mourned the death of 71 people, including players, technical commission members, and press professionals who lost their lives in the plane crash in Colombia, where the team was going to play the final of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana.

Endrick and Estávao - two of the biggest revelations of Brazilian football in recent years - were only six years old

The very Vini Jr, who ended Brazil's drought in the Best in the World that had been going on since Kaká, in 2007, was still in the youth categories of Flamengo

Internacional, Cruzeiro, and Santos were proud to have never been relegated. This happened in 2016, 2019, and 2023, respectively. Currently, only Flamengo and São Paulo have never played in the Serie B of the Brazilian championship.

📸 YASUYOSHI CHIBA - 2012 AFP