Neymar was out on the training pitch with his Brazil teammates on Wednesday, ahead of their World Cup qualifier with Bolivia, as he continues to build up fitness after injury.
The 31-year-old forward joined Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain last month after six years in France but has yet to play for his new club.
Neymar injured his ankle playing for PSG in February and underwent surgery that forced him to miss the rest of Ligue 1 campaign, which ended with the Parisians winning the title.
And he is still waiting to make his debut for Al Hilal, who currently sit top of the Saudi Pro League after five games, and their coach Jorge Jesus expressed reservations about his call-up to the Brazil squad, saying he was “not ready”.
Even without their superstar signing, Al Hilal have started the season well with the likes of Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves and Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic hitting the ground running since their respective transfers from Premier League sides Wolves and Fulham respectively.
Mitrovic has scored four goals in three games, including a hat-trick in their thrilling 4-3 win at champions Al Ittihad in Jeddah.
After completing his move to the kingdom, which saw him sign a two-year contract for a reported fee of €90 million ($98m), Neymar said he was looking forward to writing “a new sporting history” at the club.
“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” he said.
“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment.
“I have heard a lot and learnt that I am following a long list of Brazilian players who have played in Saudi Arabia over the years, so I believe it is the desired place.
“I love winning and scoring goals, and I plan to continue doing that in Saudi Arabia and with Al-Hilal.”
The qualifiers against Bolivia, and Peru four days later, will give Neymar the opportunity to overtake Pele as Brazil's all-time record scorer – he currently has 77 goals from 124 caps – but he has not appeared for his country since the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where he also picked up an ankle injury.
You can see images of the attacker training with his new teammates in the gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.
