October 22 – A year after rupturing his left ACL, Neymar returned to action with a second-half cameo in the Asian Champions League tie between Al Hilal and holders Al-Ain.
The Brazilian was almost on target in a dramatic 5-4 win for his Saudi club in a match that featured hattricks for both Salem Al-Dawsari and Soufiane Rahini. Neymar replaced Nasser Al Dawsari in the 77th minute and combined with Alexander Mitrovic to almost score. The Brazilian had returned to training in September.
After the match, Neymar said: “I feel good… I always have a good team. I’m so happy. I’m back! I’m back!”
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Uruguay last year shortly after signing with the Saudi Pro League (SPL). He underwent surgery in November after transferring to Al Hilal from PSG in August 2023 for €90 million. Neymar managed to play only five matches before being sidelined by the injury.
Neymar is eligible to play in the AFC Champions League, a competition without restrictions on the number of foreign players. On the domestic front, he will only be registered in January for the second half of the season in the Saudi Pro League where restrictions on the number of overseas players apply.
Staff members of Brazil’s national team watched Neymar’s return with a keen eye. Brazil have been underwhelming in World Cup qualifying and the talismanic player could rejoin the national team for the November fixtures against Venezuela and Uruguay.
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