Rio de Janeiro: Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal said it reached an agreement with striker Neymar to terminate his contract by mutual consent.
Neither side confirmed details of the termination after the 32-year-old Brazilian, once hailed as one of the world’s best players, played only seven matches for the club, with only one goal and two assists.
Despite being sidelined since October 2023 due to an ACL injury, former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar was part of the squad that won last season’s Saudi league.
Their deal was due to expire after Al-Hilal’s participation in this year’s FIFA Club World Cup, which will be played between June 15 and July 13 in the United States.
The club said in a statement published on its social media channels on Monday that it “expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided throughout his career with Al-Hilal.”
The striker joined the Saudi club from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023 for 90 million euros (USD 94 million), in one of many transactions that placed the Arab country as one of the new big soccer markets in the world. But Neymar picked up his ACL injury, the most serious of his career, playing for Brazil only months after he joined Al-Hilal.
Neymar returned in October and had his most recent appearance for the Saudi club in November. The Brazilian said in different interviews there were doubts on whether coach Jorge Jesus would count on him for the rest of the season.
Day Crespo, a spokeswoman for Neymar in Brazil, told The Associated Press that the player will comment on his future at a later date. Local media reported that the footballer was still waiting for documents of the termination before he announces his departure.
Brazilian media has also reported that Neymar and his father are interested in a six-month return to his boyhood club Santos, where he achieved national fame and his first caps for Brazil before he joined Barcelona in 2013.
Neymar’s comeback is largely expected by Santos fans. Since last week, they featured a video of a man with the voice of legendary three-time World Cup winner Pelé, who died in 2022, asking Neymar to return and wear his historic No. 10 shirt.
Neymar won six titles at Santos, including the Brazilian Cup in 2010 and the prestigious Copa Libertadores in 2011. In June, during a visit to one of his social projects in Brazil, the striker denied he was eyeing a return to the club.
“No (chance to return to Santos). This is a total lie, there’s no plans. I have another year in my contract with Al-Hilal. I hope to play a great season there. I didn’t play the last one. We need to live day to day, there’s a long time ahead,” Neymar told media then.
“Obviously Santos is the club in my heart, one day I do want to come back. But there’s no plan in my head.”
On January 17, Neymar said in a different interview he was once again considering playing in Brazil, as he denied he had any intention to play in the United States in the near future. Besides Santos, he also named Flamengo, the country’s most popular club.
“I always said I want to play for Flamengo because of everything that involves Flamengo. But Santos is my boyhood love, my home,” he said.
Santos executives have repeatedly said they would like Neymar to return, but denied media reports about he and his father allegedly trying to buy the club’s soccer department, as is allowed in Brazilian law. Other big clubs of the South American nation, such as defending Copa Libertadores champion Botafogo, owned by American mogul John Textor, have bid for titles after such a move.
Brazil national team coach Dorival Júnior has said since the end of last year that Neymar is not fully recovered for international soccer either. In March, his team will play against leader Argentina in South American World Cup qualifying, and Neymar is once again unlikely to play.
Earlier in January, Neymar made news for his comments about his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappé, now at Real Madrid.
Speaking in a podcast hosted by World Cup winner Romário, Neymar said the Frenchman became “a little jealous” after superstar Lionel Messi joined the French club in August 2021 in a free transfer. He also added that big egos affected the performances of PSG in big matches.
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time top goal scorer with 79 goals in 125 matches, also said he is focused on getting more playing time so he can best prepare for the World Cup in North America next year, in what could be his last shot at winning the tournament.
