Al Hilal confirmed that they have terminated Neymar’s contract by “mutual consent” on a post on social media, published on Jan. 27th The news come after months of speculation surrounding his future. According to reports, the forward is expected to return to his boyhood club Santos in Brazil with a sixth-month contract.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that the Brazilian star will travel to his home country to pass medical tests and join his former club, which is returning to the country’s top division this season. He could play for Santos as soon as February 5th.
According to an early report from ESPN, by terminating his contract with Al Hilal, Neymar is walking away from about $65 million. Al Hilal signed the player from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 for a fee of $97.6 million.
However, despite the stratospheric numbers, Neymar’s stint in Saudi Arabia wasn’t what he or the club expected. In October 2023, while on international duty, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, which made him be sidelined for over a year.
Neymar plays for Santos during the FIFA Club World Cup in 2011 ( Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
He returned to the field last October, but a hamstring injury kept him from making more of a contribution. In his time with Al Hilal, he made just seven league and cup appearances with just one goal scored in an AFC Champions League group stage match against Nassaji Mazandaran on Oct. 3, 2023.
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Neymar reportedly chooses Santos over the MLS
Neymar began his professional career with Santos in 2009, where he first gained international recognition. In 2011, he led them to a Copa Libertadores triumph, in which he scored in the second leg of the final, a 2-1 win over Peñarol.
He scored 107 goals in 177 appearances for the clubbefore he was sold to FC Barcelona in 2013 for $80.5 million. There, alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, he was part of the team that won a treble of LaLiga, Champions League and Copa del Rey, before signing with PSG in 2017.
Neymar’s transfer saga has also included rumors of a potential reunion with Messi and Suarez at Inter Miami, as well as the possibility of a move to the Chicago Fire. However, it seems like the star, who has declared his wish to be fit to play in the 2026 World Cup, ultimately chose to return home.
