Dhaka, Feb. 6 -- After nearly 12 years playing for European giants and a short stint in Saudi Arabia, Neymar has made his return to professional football in Brazil.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star came off the bench at the start of the second half for his boyhood club Santos during their Campeonato Paulista match against Botafogo SP on Wednesday at Estadio Vila Belmiro.

Santos led 1-0 when Neymar entered the game, but a second-half equalizer saw the match end in a 1-1 draw.

"I love Santos. I can't describe what I felt stepping onto this pitch again," Neymar said post-match. Named the game's best player, he admitted he was not yet at peak fitness but took positives from his first match in over three months. "I need min...