Neymar ended his time in Saudi Arabia in January when he cut his Al-Hilal contract short to return to Santos in Brazil, and one Saudi Pro League official has revealed just how the league felt about his time in the Middle East.
After completing a €90m move from PSG to sign for Al-Hilal in 2023, Neymar became the Saudi Pro League’s most-expensive transfer ever, and another high-profile star to swap European football for the Middle East.
Things didn’t work out for the Brazilian, though, with a ruptured cruciate ligament injury limiting his playing time. In his 18 months at Al-Hilal he made just seven appearances in total. And even then, he only managed to feature in 428 total minutes during those seven games, scoring just one goal and registering three assists.
Neymar barely featured in the Saudi Pro League
Considering that Neymar earned an astronomical reported wage of €150m per year, in FourFourTwo’s view it became arguably the worst transfer in history.
But despite the finances involved and the complete lack of value that Al-Hilal and the Saudi Pro League got out of Neymar in general, officials don’t look back in anger over the transfer.
“Neymar came and went, and of course, he took many fans with him, who still follow him personally,” Mohammed Basrawi, General Manager of Marketing Communications for the Saudi Pro League, told Marca. But it wasn’t a disappointment.
“What happened with Neymar is football, that’s all. Injuries can happen. It was a serious injury at the start of his contract, and that can happen to anyone.
“We would have liked him to have played more, but that’s football.”
Since returning to Santos at the end of January, Neymar has already matched the same number of appearances he managed in 18 months at Al-Hilal, picking up three Man of the Match awards having scored three goals, too.
Neymar’s contract with Santos only runs until the end of June this year, meaning he will be free to join whichever club he likes in the summer. A return to Barcelona has been suggested, while Santos are also keen on extending his deal if he manages to continue his form and consistency.
Transfermarkt values Neymar at €15m.
