Neymar returns to call-up for Al Hilal after more than a year out

After more than a year out due to injury, the Brazilian soccer player Neymar He joined the Al Hilal squad on Sunday to visit Al Ain in the Asian Champions League, in the United Arab Emirates, and could play on Monday.

“I know you are impatient, I am too, and on October 21 I am back”: in a video published by Al Hilal, the 32-year-old star says that she is “ready” for play again.

Neymar, who joined the Saudi Al Hilal team in August 2023 from Paris Saint-Germain, injured his cruciate ligament and meniscus on October 17 of that year with Brazil, in a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Uruguay.

So far he has played only five games for the Saudi Arabian club.

“I suffer every day that I stay apart, that’s what hurts me the most,” explained the player, with tears, in a video published on Saturday on YouTube.

“Every time I’ve been injured I’ve come back, and I don’t do that halfway,” he said.

The absence of the Brazilian star, who according to the media earns 100 million euros ($108 million) per season, has not affected the results of his new club, which won the national championship for the 19th time – last season.