Brazilian star Neymar has confirmed his departure from Al Hilal following an injury-riddled 18 months in the Saudi Arabia Pro League.
Neymar moved to Al Hilal in the summer of 2023 for a staggering €90m (£75m) fee from Paris Saint-Germain. The Brazilian reportedly earned €100m (£86.4m) per year, but suffered a severe knee injury in October 2023 while on international duty.
The 32-year-old returned to the pitch after a 370-day layoff earlier this season, but struggled to maintain his full fitness. Eventually, Neymar was not registered as one of the non-Saudi players allowed in the club’s league squad for the second half of the season.
Al Hilal decision paved the way for Neymar’s departure and the Brazilian has claimed that he “gave everything to play” for the Saudi side.
In the second line of his farewell post on social media, Neymar wrote: “I gave everything to play and I wish we enjoyed better times on the pitch together.”
Neymar’s full statement reads: “To everyone at Al Hilal, to the fans, thank you,”
“To Saudi, thank you for giving me and my family a new home and new experiences. I now know the real Saudi and have friends for life. I always felt your love and passion for the game.”
Neymar is on the verge of agreeing a short-term contract with his first professional club, Santos.
However, the club president of Brazilian rivals Palmeiras brutally rebuffed the rumours that they were interested in the injury-prone forward because “this club isn’t a medical department”.
Neymar has also been linked with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami but the club manager Javier Mascherano also quashed the possibility of signing Neymar in January.
