"Thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided throughout his career": Al-Hilal

He returned for two brief appearances in October and November but injured his hamstring and has not played since. He has expressed his desire to play the 2026 World Cup, seeing it as a last hurrah

Brazilian star Neymar Jr on Monday ended his injury-plagued 18 month stay in Saudi Arabia as his club, Al-Hilal said they had “agreed to terminate the player’s contract by mutual consent.” 

“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,” said a club statement posted on social media.

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The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward played just seven times since joining the club in August 2023, despite a reported salary of around $104 million a year. 

Neymar followed the likes of  fellow superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the lucrative Saudi league. But two months after his arrival in Riyadh, he ruptured a cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier in October 2023, which kept him on the sidelines for a year. 

He returned for two brief appearances in October and November but injured his hamstring and has not played since. He has expressed his desire to play the 2026 World Cup, seeing it as a last hurrah. 

Reports in Brazil state that a return to Santos, his boyhood club, is likely.

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