Coutinho discussed his decision to join Santos at his unveiling press conference. He stated that Neymar played a very important role in this, contacting him multiple times and ultimately convincing him to reconsider and accept the challenge.

Coutinho said: "Of course, Neymar played a very important role in me coming here. He is a player who needs no introduction, and a friend I've known since childhood; we've known each other for many years.

I think he was the first person in football to message me after I left Vasco. The day after I left, he messaged me. At the time, I told him: 'Neymar, it would certainly be great to play with you, but it's not possible for me right now. I'm not in good shape, I really can't.'

And at that time, it really didn't make sense to me. Then, a few months later, he approached me again, and my answer was still the same: 'It would certainly be great to play with you, but for me, it's still not possible right now.'

Then some more time passed. In the last two weeks, he messaged me again. This time, I paused and thought about it, and reconsidered. I really wanted to return to the field and play, so I thought: why not? What's the problem?

I'm going to a big club, it's just in another city, so what's the problem? If I don't even give myself the chance to go back to work and play again, that wouldn't be fair to myself. So, that's when I made the decision. Of course, I also want to thank President Marcelo Teixeira, Alexandre Mattos, and Neymar for inviting me. I am very happy to be here and excited to accept this challenge."

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com