Brazilian star Neymar has finally made his return to the football pitch after over a year out with an ACL injury.
The 32-year-old joined Public Investment Fund (PIF) owned Al-Hilal in 2023 to bring an end to his time at PSG in a £78million move that came as something of a shock.
Despite making headlines for his decision to move to Saudi Arabia, Neymar had been restricted to just five games for his new club before picking up the injury during an international break last year.
However, on Monday evening, he made his long-awaited sixth appearance for the club after coming off the bench during their dramatic 5-4 win over rivals Al-Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite – which is ironically abbreviated to the ACL Elite.
Footage showed the Brazilian in good spirits as he walked along the touchline before being substituted on in the 77th minute – 369 days after his last outing for the club.
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Neymar has finally made his return to the football pitch after over a year out with an ACL injury
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The Brazilian made just his sixth appearance for the Saudi giants after his £78million move
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Neymar’s girlfriend Bruna Biancardi (middle), their daughter Mavie (left) and her parents were in attendance to watch the Brazilian make his comeback against Al-Ain
He came close to finding the back of the net after leading a counter-attack however he was denied by the fingertips of the Al-Ain goalkeeper.
He also showed off some of his trademark flair by nutmegging an opponent before being hacked down to the ground.
Neymar’s model girlfriend Bruna Biancardi, their daughter Mavie and her parents were in attendance to watch the Brazilian make his comeback against Al-Ain.
The Brazilian will be delighted to return to the pitch after recently starring in an emotional interview where he opened up the struggles of being away from football.
Reflecting on the past 12 months on the NR Sports YouTube channel, he said: ‘I felt a huge pain. In that moment I already knew it was serious.
‘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.’
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Neymar made a 13-minute cameo as Al-Hilal beat rivals Al-Ain in a dramatic 5-4 match
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There had been much anticipation in Saudi Arabia about the Brazilian returning to fitness
‘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.’
Including AFC Champions League matches, he made five appearances in total for Al-Hilal prior to his injury, contributing one goal and three assists.
His contract at Al-Hilal is set to expire next year, although there is the option to extend by a further 12 months.
The winger made his name at Santos after coming through their academy as a youngster before breaking into the first team.
He scored 72 goals in 140 appearances and won six major honours with the club, including the Copa Libertadores in 2011.
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Neymar had to wipe away the tears as spoke about the year he has spent out of action
The Brazilian also made headlines recently after he was bizarrely booed by fans in Saudi Arabia when he was spotted at the blockbuster Six Kings Slam event.
There were even audible chants of ‘Ronaldo! Ronaldo’ with Cristiano Ronaldo being a huge success unsurprisingly in Saudi Arabia after his own move to Al-Nassr.
The Brazilian was then seen chatting to Rafael Nadal, who was beaten in straight sets 6-3 6-3 by compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in his round of the exhibition tournament.
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