For now, the Saudi club is not very excited about giving Neymar a new contract. If this idea is maintained, the attacking midfielder will say goodbye to the team after the Club World Cup, which will have its inaugural edition played between June and July next year, precisely when his contract comes to an end.
Mission accomplished
Despite practically not using the Brazilian on the field, Al-Hilal considers that the player fulfilled well the main role for which he was hired: to help boost the club’s name internationally and also that of the Saudi league.
Neymar’s team, whose existence was practically ignored outside of Asia until recently, already has more followers on Instagram than mid-sized European football teams, such as Aston Villa and Roma.
Furthermore, it became a natural destination for many other players accustomed to playing in the top flight of the Old Continent, such as João Cancelo (Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (ex-Napoli and Chelsea), Malcom (ex-Barcelona) and Sergej Milinkovic- Savic (ex-Lazio).
Can the scenario change?
To make Al-Hilal change his mind and present him with a new contract under the same conditions as the current one (salary in the region of 100 million euros per year, more than R$50 million each month), Neymar will no longer be able to rely solely on marketing. It will have to make a big difference on the field.
