An emotional Neymar has opened up on the ‘hurt’ of his injury lay-off as he prepares to make his return to action with Al-Hilal. The Brazilian playmaker joined the Saudi side in August last year in a £78million move, but managed just five appearances before rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on international duty.
The 32-year-old has now returned to first-team training though, and his club have announced he will be included in the squad for the Asian Champions League game with UAE Pro League side Al-Ain on Monday.
And ahead of his comeback, the ex-PSG man has spoken candidly about his struggles since being stretchered off against Uruguay.
“I felt a huge pain. In that moment I already knew it was serious,” he told the NR Sports YouTube channel. “What I want most in life is to play football. I have suffered every day I’ve been away from the pitch. This is what hurts me the most.”
Breaking down in tears as he talked, Neymar added: “I am focused on the most important people in my life, my family and friends, and football. I have risen every time I have been injured. But I don’t return halfway.”
On Saturday, his club released a statement confirming their marquee player was coming back ahead of schedule: “Al Hilal is happy to announce that Neymar will join the squad for the away trip to Al Ain,” they said. “He’s back. The number 10 will be able to play on Monday to carry on with his remarkable trajectory.”
The club’s official social media account also uploaded a picture of the star in his first team shirt, along with the message “Welcome back Neymar Jnr.” The post has since been viewed more than 1.6m times on X.
The pressure will now be on Neymar to perform though, given his contract expires in the summer of 2025. His two-year deal is worth a reported £138m overall, and the club will be keen to see a return on their massive investment.
He has also been missed for his country, with Brazil currently underwhelming in their World Cup qualifying campaign. Neymar’s tally of 79 international goals is a record for the Selecao, and he currently stands on 128 caps.
That leaves him 15 short of the legendary Cafu Brazil’s record appearance maker. It’s a number he should comfortably exceed providing he can stay injury free on the road to Canada, USA, and Mexico in 2026.
Prior to his switch to the Middle East, Neymar previously made 173 appearances in six seasons for PSG following his world record £198m move from Barcelona, scoring 118 times. But his time in France was plagued by injuries, and prior to his departure he spent six months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk