Ex-Man City & Real Madrid star Robinho rejoins Santos for fourth spell

Ex-Manchester City, Real Madrid and Brazil star Robinho has rejoined Santos for a fourth stint, the club confirmed on Saturday. 

Robinho has been a free agent since parting company with Turkey's Basaksehir at the end of the 2019-20 Super Lig season. 

And at 36 he is now gearing up for his latest return to Vila Belmiro after agreeing a short-term contract with his boyhood club. 

"Robinho is back!" Santos revealed on the club's official Twitter account on Saturday. 

"The eternal Stepover King has signed a five-month contract and agreed his return to start his fourth spell at Santos."

Robinho rejoins Santos at a time when the Paulista outfit, who finished second under Jorge Sampaoli in the 2019 Serie A campaign, are fighting on multiple fronts. 

The Peixe currently sit eighth in the national Brasilerao competition, whose start was delayed by several months due to the coronavirus pandemic, and have also secured a last-16 berth in the Copa Libertadores with one game to spare in Group G.

Santos are also due to begin their quest to win the Copa do Brasil, which they begin in the last-16 phase in October with a two-legged tie against Ceara. 

The forward began playing futsal for the club aged just 12 and made his first-team bow in 2001 at the age of 17, helping the Peixe to a Serie A crown the following season. 

After three stellar campaigns at Vila Belmiro Robinho was sold to Real Madrid, winning back-to-back Ligas for the club in 2006-07 and 2007-08 before moving on to City as the first signing of the Abu Dhabi Investment Group. 

The Brazilian, who had been tipped by Pele as his heir apparent while still a teenager, suffered mixed fortunes in the Premier League and in 2010 returned to Santos on a loan deal. 

He would make a second return to the club in 2014, this time as a Milan player, while also representing the likes of Guangzhou Evergrande, Atletico Mineiro and Sivasspor as his talents began to wane. 

At international level Robinho picked up 100 caps, scoring 28 times for the Selecao and lifting the Copa America in 2007 as well as two Confederations Cups.