For Seven Matches & One Goal, Neymar Cost Al-Hilal Over $525 Million

• Neymar Jr (real name: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior) has parted ways with Al-Hilal after a short-lived yet expensive tenure as the Saudi Pro League champions’ absentee star.
• The 32-year-old phenom sustained a knee injury in late 2023 during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, and has struggled to get back on form ever since.
• Neymar defected from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Hilal on a reported transfer fee of €90 million, along with an annual salary of €150 million (six times what he was earning at PSG).

18 injury-prone months into his stint at the Saudi Pro League, Neymar and Al-Hilal have mutually agreed to terminate their headline-making contract.

The Brazilian “Prince who never became King” left Europe on a reported transfer fee of €90 million ($145 million) — and pocketed an eye-watering annual salary of €150 million ($250 million) — bringing the total cost for his seven appearances and solitary goal to approximately €315 million ($525 million). Which certainly doesn’t seem like the greatest investment for Al-Hilal.

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Of course, Neymar didn’t just enjoy an enviable salary. According to Foot Mercato, the star forward’s two-year agreement also included the following bonuses:

• A private jet entirely at his disposal
• The obligatory mansion and his own personal staff — similar to Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrangement, he was able to live with his girlfriend Bruna Biancardi despite not being married (something prohibited by Saudi law)
• An additional €80,000 ($135,000) for every Al-Hilal win
• And perhaps the most insane of them all: €500,000 ($840,000) for every social media post or story promoting Saudi Arabia

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The revelation of these perks came to light shortly after Al-Hilal’s unsuccessful US$1.1 billion (AU$1.6 billion) bid for Neymar’s PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe. Yet another stark reminder that Saudi / oil money does indeed hit different.

Neymar joined the Riyadh-based franchise at a time when international superstars were actively defecting from Europe to play for the Saudi Pro League, namely:

• Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Manchester United to play for Al-Nassr under a €200 million contract
• Karim Benzema (Real Madrid to Al-Ittihad)
• N’Golo Kante (Chelsea to Al-Ittihad)
• Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich to Al-Nassr)
• Roberto Firmino (Liverpool to Al-Ahli)

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But given what the Saudi Pro League is apparently willing to pay for top talent — despite how little they actually played — these names certainly won’t be the last.

As for what the future holds for Neymar, while he’s been courted by MLS teams, current reports indicate he plans on returning to his childhood club Santos, where the Brazilian youngster made a name for himself before signing with Barcelona in 2013.