Neymar has seen his torrid spell at Al-Hilal lastly come to an finish, after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with the Saudi Professional League.
After leaving Santos in 2013 for Barcelona, Neymar appears to be like set to return to his boyhood membership on a free switch , with the Brazilian signing a short-term deal to take him up till the summer season of 2025.
However with the 32-year-old leaving Saudi Arabia lower than 18 months after shifting there, is Neymar to Al-Hilal the worst switch ever accomplished? In FourFourTwo ‘s view, it might nicely be…
Why Neymar to Al-Hilal is the worst switch ever
Accidents obtained the higher of Neymar at Al-Hilal (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Whereas Neymar’s €220m transfer from Barcelona to PSG in 2017 remains to be the most costly switch within the historical past of soccer , he accomplished one other profitable transfer in August 2023 when leaving the French giants for Al-Hilal, in a deal price €90m.
Signing a contract price a reported €150m per yr on a two-year deal, the transfer appeared set to price Al-Hilal €390m in complete for simply two seasons of Neymar’s service. However whereas he has departed six months sooner than initially agreed, Neymar has nonetheless pocketed near €225m only for himself – however the sizeable switch price, too.
Neymar ruptured his ACL in October 2023 taking part in for Brazil (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Different gamers, corresponding to Cristiano Ronaldo , Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane have all made high-profile strikes to Saudi Arabia in current occasions to earn profitable contracts, although, so what makes Neymar’s the worst in historical past?
Nicely, whereas he earned astronomical wages throughout 18 months within the Center East, Neymar truly solely performed a grand complete of seven video games for Al-Hilal. And even then, he solely managed to function in 428 complete minutes throughout these seven video games, scoring only one aim and registering three assists.
To place that into perspective, he was paid €525,700 for every minute he was on the pitch for Al-Hilal, whereas the switch alone price the Saudi aspect €12,857,142 for every single look.
Damage performed an important half in his lack of gametime, with an ACL rupture he picked up whereas on worldwide responsibility in October 2023 ruling him out for a full yr. When he lastly made his return in October 2024, a hamstring damage then stored him out for an additional couple of months.
Al-Hilal supervisor Jorge Jesus compounded issues when saying Neymar wasn’t registered for the second half of 2024/25, previous to his contract termination, by stating : “Neymar can now not carry out on the degree we’re used to. Issues have grow to be troublesome for him, sadly.”
So, whereas Philippe Coutinho, Romelu Lukaku and Antony have all accomplished transfers within the final decade which have all gone improper in a technique or one other, Neymar’s swap to Al-Hilal is undoubtedly the worst of the lot.
