Neymar to Al-Hilal: The worst transfer in football history

To say that Al-Hilal rolled out the red carpet for Neymar would be the understatement of the century. For a start, he was handed a two-year contract worth a staggering €160m (£137m/$175m), making him the third highest-paid player in the Pro League after Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr and Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad.

According to Spanish publication Cope, Neymar also demanded a 25-room mansion, complete with a swimming pool and three saunas. The club agreed to employ eight people to see to the upkeep of the property, while providing him with nine supercars and all expenses paid for travel, restaurants and hotels.

As if all of that wasn't enough, Al-Hilal also staged a lavish presentation ceremony for the Brazilian at their home stadium that included fireworks and an elaborate drone display that spelled out 'Neymar is blue', with fellow new signings Malcolm and Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou very much forced to take a backseat.

"Neymar Jr is a global icon who has brought joy and pleasure to all fans wherever he plays," club chairman Fahad Bin Saad Bin Nafel declared. "The spotlight is always on him and he always responds to it." Suffice to say, the former Barcelona star has not lived up to that billing.

Neymar wasn't even fit enough to play any part in Al-Hilal's first four league matches of the 2023-24 campaign, having arrived still nursing the ankle issue that derailed his final season at PSG. But he showed little sign of rust when his debut finally came around, registering two assists off the bench in a thumping 6-1 demolition of Al-Riyadh.

However, Al-Hilal were held to a disappointing draw in their opening AFC Champions League game against Navbahor, with Neymar lasting only 60 minutes on his first start. They also drew 1-1 with Damac two days later, and the fleet-footed attacker was guilty of wasting a host of clear-cut chances. Two sub-par performances were all it took to spark speculation over Neymar being unhappy in his new surroundings, as reports of a rift with head coach Jorge Jesus emerged alongside talk of a potential Santos homecoming.

The situation took another turn for the worse when Neymar missed a first-half penalty in his third appearance against Al-Shabab. It was a humiliating moment that compounded his frustrating start to life in the Middle East, but he refused to let his head drop.

Neymar responded with a dazzling second-half display, tormenting the Al-Shabab defence with his unpredictable dribbling and incisive passing. He also set up Kalidou Koulibaly to the score opener before Aleksandr Mitrovic wrapped up a hard-fought 2-0 victory. Jesus had nothing but good things to say about Al-Hilal's poster boy after the game, as he told reporters: "Neymar is improving every game and he is also getting better in terms of fitness and it’s only a matter of time until he is back to his best."

Despite Neymar's gradual improvement, supporters were growing impatient for his first goal. It turned out to be well worth the wait, though, as the Brazil international rifled a thunderous first-time shot into the far corner during Al-Hilal's 3-0 AFC Champions League victory over Nassaji Mazandaran, sparking wild scenes of celebration in the away section of the Azadi Stadium.

It was a vintage Neymar finish to a move he had engineered, and it capped another fine all-round showing, this time on a shockingly poor pitch that had thin strips of turf placed over patches of exposed concrete. That left Neymar with four-goal contributions in his first five outings at Al-Hilal, which was a satisfactory return given his struggles for fitness.

But that would be as good as it ever got for supporters in the Middle East; little more than a tantalising glimpse of what Neymar is truly capable of. He then went off for Brazil duty full of confidence, only to return to Al-Hilal two weeks later a broken man.

The harrowing images of Neymar being stretchered off in tears during Brazil's 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss to Uruguay left everyone fearing the worst. It was no surprise when Al-Hilal announced he would need surgery, or when it was reported that the experienced frontman would be out for at least 10 months.

Neymar was subsequently deregistered by the club for the remainder of the season, so they could make room for one more foreign player in the January transfer window, and ruled out of the 2024 Copa America finals. Al-Hilal took a gamble investing so much money in a player with such a storied injury history, and unsurprisingly, it backfired.

Across his six seasons at PSG, Neymar sat out over 100 matches. The French giants won five Ligue 1 titles during that time, and Neymar's record for goals and assists was still mightily impressive, but they could never fully rely on the man they paid a world-record €220m (£190m/$241m) to Barcelona for back in 2017.

Still, Al-Hilal put all their resources into Neymar's rehabilitation, and he kept fans up to date with his progress on Instagram. He was even seen screaming in pain in one video after being fitted with a clunky leg brace, but the post came with the optimistic caption: "Everything passes."

By February, Neymar was able to start individual work at Al-Hilal's training base. There was no big rush to get him fit again, though, because the team was flourishing in his absence.

Al-Hilal won the Saudi Pro League without losing a single game, scoring 100 goals in the process, and set a new world record for consecutive wins across all competitions between September and April (34). Neymar joined in the dressing room title party and participated in a lap of honour while holding his baby daughter, knowing deep down he had barely contributed to their success.

"The fans are unbelievable," he said. "I haven’t been able to give them the happiness they deserve but you can be sure that next season we are going to have a lot of fun." Unfortunately, Neymar hasn't been able to keep that promise.

Jesus later revealed that Neymar would not be ready to return until October, and Al-Hilal decided they couldn't risk registering him for the first half of their 2024-25 Saudi Pro League campaign. However, the world's most expensive footballer stepped up his recovery over the summer break, with Brazil's early exit at the Copa America giving him extra motivational fuel to return, and he was included in Al-Hilal's AFC Champions League squad at the start of September.

Neymar made his first competitive appearance in a year as a late substitute during Al-Hilal's thrilling 5-4 win over competition holders Al-Ain, and received a hero's reception from the away fans. Tributes poured in for Neymar after the match, with former club Santos labelling him a "genius", and former Uruguay defender Diego Lugano backing the Brazilian to complete "the greatest comeback in football" by going on to play at the 2026 World Cup.

But the sad fact is, disaster is always just around the corner for Neymar. And the likelihood is we will probably never see him strut his stuff for the Selecao again.

Neymar was given a 30-minute run-out in Al-Hilal's latest AFC Champions League encounter against Esteghlal on Monday, but didn't even make it to the final whistle. He had to be taken off after pulling up in pain after overstretching for a pass, and then sat by the side of the dugout before throwing his shin pads away in anger.

"Hopefully nothing too much" Neymar said in an attempt to downplay the incident on social media. "It's normal that after one year [out] this happens, the doctors had already warned me, so I have to be careful and play more minutes." But Al-Hilal have since confirmed that Neymar is facing another four to six weeks in the treatment room with a hamstring tear.

According to Brazilian outlet UOL, Al-Hilal are now considering terminating Neymar's contract. "He is a damaged player and also neglected and this is very clear," Saudi sports critic Mohammed Al-Sheikh has said. "He is very talented but his body is prone to injuries. His continuation is a drain on Al-Hilal financially and technically and the club must get rid of him even if it costs them paying the full value of the penalty clause."

In truth, Neymar has been damaged goods for a long time. That's why no other top European clubs went anywhere near him when PSG put him up for sale.

Al-Hilal bought into the Neymar brand without doing their proper due diligence, and will pay a heavy price. They will likely now be remembered as the club where Neymar's career ended, in the most abject fashion possible.

Major recruitment missteps are commonplace in the European game; Antony to Manchester United, Eden Hazard to Real Madrid and Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona are just a few of the more recent examples that immediately spring to mind. But Neymar's disastrous spell in the Middle East should go down as the worst transfer of all if he does indeed leave the club in January.

One goal and seven appearances in 18 months. That's not just terrible a record, it's downright embarrassing. Al-Hilal have wasted a fortune on a has-been whose body has completely failed him. They will probably never be able to attract another star name even close to his calibre after this sorry saga.

As for Neymar, there is nowhere left to go. He's gone from being the most gifted player of his generation, one who could have won multiple Ballons d'Or if he'd made better decisions, to a physical wreck staring at a potential medical retirement before his 33rd birthday. What a monumental shame.