The excitement surrounding the ever-growing Saudi Pro League hit an all-time high when Neymar’s move from Paris St Germain to Al-Hilal was confirmed in the summer of 2023.
The £80 million move saw one of the world’s greatest players make the move to the Middle East at the age of just 31 having come off the back of another impressive, albeit injury-plagued, final season in the French capital.
The Brazilian trickster followed Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as huge names to make the move out of Europe as the Saudi Pro League continued to enjoy exponential growth in stature and popularity.
Neymar’s Saudi stint set for one final knockback
Despite the excitement surrounding his arrival, Neymar’s impact on Al-Hilal and Saudi Arabia as a whole has been minimal, at best, hampered by a remarkably unlucky run of injury issues.
The 32-year-old, who ranked at No.35 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest Barcelona players of all time, suffered an ACL tear just five games into his time in Riyadh, missing the rest of the 2023/24 season as well as the beginning of the current campaign.
Two games into his return, Neymar suffered a tear in his hamstring which is set to leave him sidelined for another six weeks, according to reports, leaving Al-Hilal with yet another headache as they continue to pay his £130 million-per-year contract.
Rumours surrounding an exit began to swirl in recent weeks as suggestions that he could be set to join Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami began creeping in before picking up his latest injury problem.
According to Brazilian outlet UOL, Al-Hilal are now considering cutting ties with the superstar in January, leaving the door open to a dramatic reunion with his former strike partners.
The report claims that the club are contemplating a mutual termination of Neymar’s contract in January in order to free up funds and squad space as they look to defend their Saudi Pro League title.
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Al-Hilal have managed remarkably well without their marquee player, breaking the record for the longest winning streak in history last season with 34 on their way to lifting a 19th league title.
Boasting a squad of starts featuring Aleksandar Mitrovic, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly, the club appears destined to lift back-to-back titles having started the new campaign unbeaten.
