Neymar bids farewell to Al Hilal amid return to boyhood club Santos
Brazilian superstar Neymar delivered a farewell speech to his Al Hilal teammates, saying he was proud to represent the Saudi club, but that it was time for him to return home.
Neymar's final speech, shared by the club on X early hours on Wednesday, came a day after Al Hilal announced that the striker's contract with the club was being terminated by mutual consent.
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'I would like to thank you for the warm welcome and affection. For me, I am really happy to [have] represent[ed] the club with its colors,' he said. 'Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as I imagined. I couldn't help you with my way on the field-my favorite place where I do my best football.'
A farewell to @Neymarjr.. Thank you for your time with us! 💙 #ThankYouNeymar
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) January 28, 2025
Brazil's all-time leading scorer has agreed to return to Santos, the president of his boyhood club confirmed on Tuesday.
'I may be happy to return to my country, but I am so sad because I want to be with you,' Neymar said, without mentioning Santos.
Neymar's time with Al Hilal was mostly spent on the sidelines due to an ACL injury he picked playing for Brazil in October 2023. He played only seven matches and scored once.
He joined Al Hilal in the summer of 2023 coming from France's Paris St Germain (PSG) following in the footsteps of other global players such as Ronaldo and Karim Benzema who joined Al Nassr and Al Ittihad, respectively.
Neymar's contract was initially until the summer of 2025.
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A post shared by Neymar Jr (@neymarjr)
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