Neymar returns for Al Hilal with cameo ACL role
On October 22, Neymar made his comeback nearly a year after tearing his left ACL. He played in the second half of the Asian Champions League match between Al Hilal and the defending champions, Al-Ain.
The Brazilian came very close to scoring in an exciting 5-4 victory for his Saudi team, a game that saw both Salem Al-Dawsari and Soufiane Rahini net hat tricks. Neymar entered the match in the 77th minute, taking the place of Nasser Al Dawsari, and almost found the back of the net after teaming up with Alexander Mitrovic. He had just resumed training in September.
Following the game, Neymar expressed his feelings: "I'm feeling great... I’ve got amazing teammates. I'm really happy. I'm back! I'm back!"
The ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury while playing for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay last year, just after joining the Saudi Pro League. He had surgery in November following his move to Al Hilal from PSG in August 2023 for a transfer fee of €90 million. Unfortunately, Neymar could only participate in five games before the injury put him out of action.
Neymar can participate in the AFC Champions League, where there are no limits on the number of international players. However, for the domestic league, he will be registered in January for the second half of the season in the Saudi Pro League, which does have restrictions on foreign player numbers.
The staff of Brazil's national team closely monitored Neymar's comeback. The team has struggled in World Cup qualifying, and the influential player might be back for the matches in November against Venezuela and Uruguay.
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