Hubris or bad luck? Neymar’s injuries always made Al Hilal move a risk

Brazil forward has parted ways with Saudi club by mutual consent, an outcome that always looked on the cards

The invective flooding social media came soon after Al Hilal announced they had agreed to terminate Neymar's contract by mutual consent.

There was little sugarcoating the fact that most see Neymar's move to the Riyadh giants as the worst piece of transfer business in the history of football. That, of course, is subjective, but when you look at the numbers, it's easy to see why.

Neymar, 32, played only seven games in 18 months after signing from Paris Saint-Germain, a transfer that cost his Saudi club $94 million. If we factor in his reported wages of $104 million per year, it means each appearance by Neymar cost Al Hilal $35 million. There was one goal, a few assists, and a nagging sense Neymar was never going to be the player he once was.

There are those keen to point to Saudi hubris, the kingdom wanting to sign the biggest names even at the expense of waning talent. The pomp and pageantry that accompanied Neymar's Hilal unveiling was designed to send a message to rivals: We have our own superstar to rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

There is mitigation. True, Hilal signed a player carrying over an injury from his previous club, but that's by no means uncommon in transfer deals. It seems a stretch to think a club as well established and resourced as Al Hilal would not have done rigorous medical checks and received clearance that Neymar, with the right rehabilitation, would return to full fitness, before agreeing to make the Brazilian the most expensive signing in Saudi football history.

Brazilian superstar Neymar enters the pitch during his unveiling at Al Hilal in Riyadh on Saturday, August 19, 2023. AFP

New signing Neymar is presented to Al Hilal fans at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Reuters

Light show at the King Fahd International Stadium to welcome Al Hilal's new signing Neymar. Reuters

Neymar during his unveiling in Riyadh on Saturday. AFP

Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou enters the pitch as he is presented to Al Hilal fans. AFP

Al Hilal fans created a giant tifo. Photo: SPL

Brazilian forward Malcom greets fans as he enters the pitch during his unveiling. AFP

The flip side to that argument is that Hilal knew they were signing an injury-prone player, one particularly susceptible to ankle problems, and therefore cannot be surprised by the eventual outcome.

According to transfermarkt.com, Neymar suffered his first ankle injury while at Barcelona in January 2014. That kept him sidelined for 33 days and forced him to miss 10 games. An ankle sprain later that year saw him miss only one Barcelona match, while a succession of other ailments made him unavailable for a further 23 matches before he was transferred to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record €222 million in 2017.

During his six-year stint at the French club, Neymar missed more than 130 games due to injury, 43 of them due to ankle problems.

Neymar was cruelly cut down while on international duty for Brazil in October 2023, just as he appeared to be returning to full fitness. The forward ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, keeping him sidelined for over a year.

After 368 days, Neymar returned to action for Al Hilal in Al Ain last October in an AFC Champions League match.

His return was a minor incident in the context of the whole match, as Hilal edged a nine-goal thriller 5-4 to avenge their defeat to the UAE club in the previous season's competition.

The delight at seeing their superstar return was short-lived, though. In Hilal's very next encounter in the continent's premier competition, Neymar suffered yet another injury – this time a hamstring tear – with the club said would keep him out of contention for six weeks. It proved to be the last time he would play for the Saudi club.

A return to boyhood club Santos beckons, the Brazilian team where a raw teenager first announced himself as the wunderkind of his generation, where YouTube clips of him pulling off impossible skill still abound and excite, simultaneously offering a time machine into the past whilst laying bare the reality of a future that will never again reach those peaks.

It would be unfair to say Neymar did not deliver on the promise he displayed as a fleet-footed forward at Santos. Alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar formed one part of arguably the greatest attacking troika ever seen in club football at Barcelona, winning league titles and, to date, his only Uefa Champions League title.

A world-record move to PSG followed – an amount only ever likely to be eclipsed by Neymar's compatriot Vinicius Jr should he ever leave Real Madrid – and with it a succession of domestic French trophies, though he was never able to take the Parisians to European glory.

For Brazil, Neymar can point to his 79 goals for the Selecao – more than Pele, more than Zico, more than Romario and Ronaldo or anyone else – as a huge source of pride.

Brazil national team coach Dorival Junior has said since the end of last year that Neymar is not part of his plans while his fitness problems persist. Brazil face Argentina in South American World Cup qualifying in March, but there is zero expectation Neymar will force his way into contention.

The World Cup takes place in North America in less than two years, offering Neymar one final shot at a title he saw as his destiny when he started his football journey. Injuries, as much as anything, are likely to ensure it goes unfulfilled.

Brazil's forward Neymar celebrates after scoring during the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in Belem, Brazil. Neymar became Brazil's all-time top scorer on Friday after surpassing Pele's record. AFP

Brazil's Neymar poses for a selfie with a fan who ran into the pitch during the World Cup qualifier against Bolivia. AFP

Brazil's Neymar celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal. Reuters

Neymar became Brazil's all-time top goal-scorer on Friday. EPA

Neymar, centre, celebrates with teammates Raphinha, left, and Joelinton after scoring. AFP

Brazil's Rodrygo fights for the ball with Bolivia's Diego Medina. AFP

Brazil's Richarlison vies for the ball with Bolivia's Jairo Quinteros. Reuters

Brazil's forward Raphinha celebrates after scoring. AFP