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Neymar, the Brazilian footballing maestro, is set to miss the start of the next Saudi Pro League season for Al-Hilal amidst his ongoing recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus injury suffered last October. As per the estimation of Jorge Jesus, the Al-Hilal coach, Neymar will not be ready for the beginning of the pre-season training this July.
The injury happened for Neymar during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match for Brazil against Uruguay last year. After undergoing knee surgery, the 32-year-old hasn’t played for Al-Hilal, but they haven’t missed his services that much, winning the Saudi Pro League for the record-extending 19th time earlier this month.
While speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jorge Jesus provided the latest update on when the Al-Hilal fans should expect to see him return to play for them. He said, as per NDTV Sports, “All I know now is that the time given to Neymar to recover and with similar injuries it is approximately from 10 to 11 months. If we calculate mathematically, he will not be ready at the beginning of pre-season training.”
Al-Hilal, who drew their previous Saudi Pro League game 1-1 against the big rivals Al-Nassr last weekend, have a whopping 12-point lead over them at the top of the points table. They will be finishing the ongoing league season after playing the final two games against Al-Wedha and Al-Tai.
Moreover, Neymar attended the undisputed world heavyweight boxing championship match at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, May 19. This highly anticipated fight inside the squared circle went the way of Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Tyson Fury by a split decision.
