Neymar has earned the nickname “magician” at Al-Hilal despite his injury nightmare, with the Brazilian following Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia.
♦ Brazilian moved to Middle East in 2023
♦ One of several household names in Pro League
♦ Standard considered to be on the rise
WHAT HAPPENED?
The South American superstar opted to head for the Middle East when severing ties with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023. He agreed a lucrative contract with new employers, but suffered knee ligament damage after taking in just five appearances.
WHAT KOULIBALY SAID
Neymar has sat out league and cup triumphs for Al-Hilal, but club colleague Kalidou Koulibaly has told The Mirror of why the 32-year-old forward is still held in the highest regard: “Neymar is a really important player for us. I call him the ‘Magia’ – magician – because he has so much magic in his feet. When he touches the ball, he is incredible.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Ex-Napoli and Chelsea defender Koulibaly has enjoyed better fortune at Al-Hilal, with the Senegalese centre-half adding on why more household names are heading to Saudi Arabia: “At the start, nobody really knew much about this league. It was a big decision for me. But when I saw players like Ronaldo, [Karim] Benzema, [N’Golo] Kante – who I was playing with at Chelsea then – make those moves, I also made my choice. I had a difficult year at Chelsea, and I wanted to see something else. When they called me, I studied up about the club, and I’m really happy to be here today.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Koulibaly added: “When I came, I was thinking this league would be easier than others, but I was surprised about the standard of my team-mates, and surprised at the level of the league. Even clubs that don’t have big, big-name players are very good – it’s difficult to play against them all. The level is not quite the same as Europe, but over time it will get there because the players will want to come and improve the league.”
WHAT NEXT?
Ronaldo remains the biggest star in Saudi Arabia – with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner hitting 50 goals for Al-Nassr in the 2023-24 campaign – but Al-Hilal have become a dominant force and can expect to see more big-money transfer deals completed in upcoming windows.