"I was not lucky, neither me, nor him" - Al-Hilal boss on Neymar Jr's stint at the SPL club, insists Brazilian is 'best player' he's ever worked with

Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus opened up on Neymar Jr's stint at the Saudi Arabian side, calling him the best player he has worked with. The Brazilian remained at the club from the summer of 2023 to January 2025, but could play just seven games for them.

Neymar Jr moved to Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the summer of 2023 for a reported €90 million. However, the Selecao superstar picked up a season-ending ACL injury during international duty in October 2023 and remained out for an entire year. After briefly returning to the pitch in October 2024, he once again picked up a hamstring tear.

Overall, Neymar Jr made only seven appearances for the Saudi Pro League side, contributing one goal and three assists. He mutually terminated his contract with Al-Hilal to return to his boyhood side Santos in January 2025.

In an interview with CNN Portugal, Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus recalled Neymar Jr's stint at the club. He praised the Brazilian as the best player he has worked with and said:

"I wasn’t lucky. Neither was I, nor was he. Neymar was injured for 15 months when he worked with me. Neymar is a star, he was the best player I’ve ever worked with. Now he needs time to recover what he is, we have to give him time and I think he will be in the next call-up for the Brazilian national team."

Since joining Santos, the Brazilian superstar has recorded three goals and assists each in seven outings. However, he was excluded from the Brazil national team squad for the March World Cup qualifiers after he picked up a muscle injury.

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Saudi Pro League chief claims Neymar Jr was not a disappointment at Al-Hilal despite injury woes

Neymar - Source: Getty

In an interview with MARCA, Saudi Pro League chief Mohammed Basrawi opened up about Neymar Jr's injury-laden stint in the Middle East. Despite his underwhelming seasons at Al-Hilal, Basrawi claimed the Brazilian was not disappointing.

"Neymar came and went, and of course, he took many fans with him, who still follow him personally. But it wasn't a disappointment. What happened with Neymar is football, that's all. Injuries can happen. It was a serious injury at the start of his contract, and that can happen to anyone. We would have liked him to have played more, but that's football," he said (via GOAL).

Despite being hailed as one of the best footballers of all time, Neymar's career has been marred by injuries. His recurring fitness woes raise questions about his future with the Brazil national team, especially with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on its way.