Neymar marked his first goal of 2026 with a pointed celebration on Thursday night, mimicking Vinicius Jr’s signature dance after scoring for Santos.
The Brazilian forward struck twice in Santos’ 2-1 win over Vasco da Gama, ending his recent goal drought in style and replicating the corner-flag dance that has placed Vinicius Jr at the centre of controversy in Europe.
Vinicius was recently booked for celebrating with his trademark moves after scoring against Benfica in the Champions League, in a tie that also featured allegations of racial abuse.
He later repeated the dance after sealing qualification at the Bernabéu.
Back in Brazil, Neymar appeared to show solidarity with his Seleção teammate.
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He opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a composed right-footed finish into the bottom corner.
After Vasco equalised before half-time, Neymar struck again in the second half, delicately chipping the goalkeeper to seal victory.
It was only the second time in six months that the 34-year-old scored more than once in a match and his first goals since returning from injury.
He said: “Last week they said I was the worst player in the world. 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.”
