Neymar has had his Al Hilal contract terminated by mutual consent. The 32-year-old has been heavily linked with a return to Santos, the club at which he exploded to superstardom.
“Al Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr. have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent,” read an Al Hilal statement. “The club expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided throughout his career with Al Hilal, and wish the player success in his career.”
Al Hilal and Neymar Jr. have agreed to terminate the player’s contract by mutual consent.
Neymar joined Hilal in one of the biggest transfers in football history in August 2023. Two months later, however, he ruptured his ACL and was out for a year. The forward then suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for the remainder of 2024. Overall, he made just seven appearances for the Saudi heavyweights in 18 months.
Al Hilal won the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League emphatically, going unbeaten, taking 96 points from a possible 102 and scoring 101 goals. They also won the country’s King’s Cup and Super Cup last year.
Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus has the likes of Yassine Bounou, Kalidou Koulibaly, Joao Cancelo, Renan Lodi, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Salem Al-Dawsari, Malcom and Aleksandar Mitrovic at his disposal.
Hilal will play Real Madrid C.F., FC Salzburg and CF Pachuca in Group H of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, with the top two reaching the last 16.
Neymar, who is Brazil’s 70-goal leading marksman – he outranked Pele in 2023 – is hoping to play in his fourth FIFA World Cup™ in 2026. He scored a delightful goal against Croatia in the Qatar 2022 quarter-finals, but was unable to prevent the Seleção losing on penalties.
