Neymar returns to the football field. After more than a year of absence due to a serious injury, the 32-year-old Brazilian star returned to official competition on Monday evening, coming on in the 77th minute of the Asian Champions League match won by his Saudi club from Al-Hilal to Al-Aïn, in the United Arab Emirates (5-4).
The player injured his cruciate ligament and meniscus on October 17, 2023 with Brazil in a qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup against Uruguay. Before his injury, Neymar had only played five games with the Saudi club which he joined in August 2023 from PSG for some 100 million euros per season, according to media reports.
A great opportunity in the 87th
“Spread the word: the legend Neymar is back,” tweeted the Saudi club announcing his entry into play in a live report of the match on its X account.
Neymar, however, didn’t really have time to stand out, even if he had a great opportunity in the 87th minute. Served in depth, the Brazilian relied in a one-two on his Serbian teammate Aleksandar Mitrovic but his cross shot from the left from the corner of the area fled the frame, brushed by the Al-Aïn goalkeeper.
“When I brought Neymar on, the score was 5-3, we were two goals ahead, there were spaces. But the red card (received by Al Bulayhi, one of his teammates) came just after this substitution, which deprived us of an attacker since Mitrovic had to leave the pitch (89th). We then had less offensive power,” commented Al-Hilal’s Portuguese coach, Jorge Jesus, after the match. Bringing in his star player, short of competition, perhaps carries a risk for his team, he admitted. But the technician has no choice: “We must use these matches to prepare him, it is the only way to bring one of our important players back to the highest level. »
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“I’m not coming back halfway,” warned the Brazilian number 10 in a video published on Sunday by the Saudi club. The top scorer in the history of the Seleçao (79 goals in 128 caps, two more than Pelé) says he has set several objectives until the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States. The five-time world champions’ next playoff matches are scheduled for November.
