Five appearances & out?! Neymar responds to ‘completely false’ transfer talk as Brazilian superstars sees move away Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal speculated on

The Brazil international was another marquee recruit in the Middle East during the summer window of 2023. He opted to tread a similar path to Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema when severing ties with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Neymar was expected to dazzle audiences in Riyadh, but suffered an ACL injury when on World Cup qualifying duty with his country in October 2023. He was immediately ruled out for the rest of the season – missing a title triumph for Al-Hilal and Kings Cup of Champions triumph against Ronaldo and Al-Nassr.

It has been suggested that his lucrative contract could be torn up, as Neymar sees a Lionel Messi reunion at Inter Miami or return to his Santos-based roots speculated on, but the 32-year-old forward has told ESPN of those rumours: “What is being said is completely false, there is nothing planned. I still have one year left on my contract with Al-Hilal and I hope I can have a great season. We'll be living things as we go. It's true that Santos is my favourite team and I'd like to come back one day, but I don't have a plan in mind.”

Neymar has made no secret of the fact that he intends to head back to Santos at some stage, having started his career on their books. There is, however, still plenty left for him to prove elsewhere, and many doubters to be silenced, before retracing steps to where it all began.