Junior's return to Santos was not as simple as it seemed. The club knew of Real Madrid's interest and was now fully aware of the magnitude of the prize they had in their hands; the sheer size of the diamond to be polished. Marcelo Teixeira was still club president, and he'd just sold Robinho. He was also under a huge amount of pressure after Santos' poor showing in the 2005 Brazilian Championship.
Teixeira faced a considerable dilemma: should he pay well above what the market would recommend at the time to hold onto a thirteen-year-old boy, or should he sell him and risk regretting the premature loss of a star with the potential to someday be named the best player in the world?