Neymar is already getting respect and praise from his teammates at Al Hilal despite only played five games.
Neymar smiles while wearing a hat and the Al Hilal jersey. The Al Hilal badge is next to him. (Source: Al Hilal X)
Neymar Jr. is a global football icon due to his performances with FC Barcelona and PSG, and even from his Santos FC days. The Brazilian was amazing on the pitch, as his skills and moves were fun to watch for any football fan. Last summer, he made a shocking move to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al Hilal from PSG. Neymar was excited to start playing at his new club and managed to play five games for them until he suffered an ACL injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. Despite this, the Al Hilal players praised him and gave him a unique nickname no one had given him. Neymar’s teammate, Kalidou Koulibaly, told The Mirror about the team’s praise for Neymar. He said, “Neymar is a very important player for us. I call him the ‘Magia’ or Magician because he was so much magic in his feet. When he touches the ball, he is incredible.”
Koulibaly defended Neymar as he described how it was meeting the Brazilian for the first time at Al Hilal. The Senegalese defender said, “It’s true that there were heard echoes on his lifestyle, but since he arrived in Saudi Arabia, I have the impression of seeing another person. Because we look at all the social media and everything they say about him, But as I tell everyone social media is not real life. we see that he’s very emotional player who needs to be loved, A very kind person and everyone likes him.”
He continued to share the same message in another interview, as there has been a lot of negative media towards Neymar over the years. Koulibaly refused to hear any negative comments about the number 10 of Brazil and said, “We have an image of Neymar, which, in my opinion, is wrong. he’s a very good person, very kind and he’s a great player, one of the best I’ve played with.”
Neymar to leave Al Hilal soon?
Neymar has expressed his desire to stay committed to his contract with Al Hilal and play next season to win more trophies for the club. His contract expires in the summer of 2025, and his next destination could be in Brazil with Santos FC. Another Brazilian club is interested in Neymar, and another president openly expressed his desire to have him.
Fluminense’s president, Mario Bittencourt, mentioned that Neymar would welcome him to the club if he wished to join. Bittencourt said, “The doors are open for Neymar if he wants to play for Fluminense. If the club had the conditions, and if I was still here as president, I would trust my words very much: ‘I want to bring Neymar, it depends a lot on whether he wants to come, Marcelo wanted to come, and Thiago [Silva] also wanted to come.’” Fluminense is the current Copa Libertadores champion, and Marcelo and Thiago Silva may be a positive factor in persuading Neymar.
