Dealing with a new injury, the Santos star has played few minutes on the field since leaving European football.
Experiencing a new ordeal due to injuries, Neymar has only played in 15% of the games played by his clubs since leaving European football. The star has only completed the equivalent of 11 full games adding up all the minutes he has played on the field for Al-Hilal and Santos. Neymar has only played in seven matches during his 17-month stint with the Saudi club, playing 94 games during that period. Announced on August 15, 2023 by Al-Hilal, the Brazilian made his debut a month later, coming on in the second half, and started four games in a row until his streak was interrupted by a serious knee injury.
The star spent a year out while recovering from surgery on his left knee. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the Brazilian national team’s match against Uruguay in October 2023 and only returned to action 12 months later, having played in two matches last year before leaving the team at the end of January.
He played 428 minutes on the field out of a possible 8,460 playing for the Saudi Arabian club. The number 10 said goodbye to Al-Hilal with one goal and two assists. The survey, based on figures from the specialized platform OGol, does not consider additions or national team commitments.
Upon his return to Santos, Neymar once again relived the drama of injuries and played in nine of the 13 games played by the club since his repatriation. He played in seven consecutive games, but was out of action for a month after an edema in his left thigh and felt a muscle problem in the same region again this Wednesday (16/4), during the victory over Atlético. For Peixe, the Menino da Vila played about half of the minutes available, playing 587 minutes out of a possible 1,170 and registering three goals and three assists. The 33-year-old player has only participated in 15% of the matches since leaving Europe. He played in 16 of a total of 107 matches between the two clubs. In total, Neymar was on the field for 1,015 minutes, which is equivalent to 11 full matches. During this period, the star only played 90 minutes on five occasions – four for Al-Hilal and one for Santos. Injury drama Neymar has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. After passing through Santos (when he was revealed) and Barcelona practically unscathed, the number 10 was injured several times at PSG and arrived at Al-Hilal injured. The serious knee injury worsened the situation, and his left thigh became the problem this time. The Brazilian star has not played more than 31 games per season since leaving Barcelona in 2017. For comparison, in his last season at PSG, he participated in 29 of the team’s 50 matches. For Barça, he never played in less than 41.
Santos is pessimistic about the new injury and will carry out new tests on Neymar this Thursday (17/4). The expectation is that the star suffered a more significant muscle injury than the previous edema and will need a few weeks of treatment. Neymar’s contract ends on June 30, and the club expects that there will be an agreement to renew it.
Neymar’s stats after leaving Europe
Al Hilal
Total games for Al-Hilal in 2023/24 after announcing Neymar: 52
Neymar in 2023/24: 5 games, totaling 386 minutes, with one goal and two assists
Total games for Al-Hilal in 2024/25: 42
Neymar in 2024/25: 2 games, totaling 42 minutes
Santos
Total games for Santos in 2025 after announcing Neymar: 13 games
Neymar in 2025: 9 games, totaling 587 minutes, with three goals and three assists.
