Neymar Jr. made the unprecedented decision to finally leave his longtime club, Paris Saint-Germain this summer. Instead, he decided to join Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal for a 100 million euro transfer fee and a very big contract.
The Brazilian has gained much hype and fame in his new country, with many fans clamouring to see the star make his debut for them. However, due to an injury, he could not make his debut immediately. But yesterday he did, and some controversy also followed in his footsteps.
Al-Hilal crowd jeered players in Neymar debut
Yesterday, Neymar made his debut for his new club as a substitute. He came on in the second half and had an assist as Al Hilal crushed Al Riyadh 6-1. While he performed well and was well received by the fans, a moment came when some fans didn’t like him.
According to talkSport, his own fans started booing, but not at Neymar. In the dying minutes of the game, Al-Hilal were awarded a penalty. It was seen as a great chance for Neymar to score in his debut game. All the fans were hoping that Neymar would take the penalty.
🚨 Al Hilal fans boo club legend after he takes penalty ahead of Neymar, his reaction says it all pic.twitter.com/RM5lcHULHo
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) September 16, 2023
Instead, they saw Al Hilal’s captain, Salem Aldawsari, come to the penalty box to take the penalty. Fans immediately started booing to show their displeasure at the decision and voice their desire to see the Brazilian magician score. Salem managed to score despite the boos from his own fans, and even Neymar celebrated with him.
The match also saw the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, and Aleksander Mitrovic, who even scored.
Neymar met German legend Oliver Kahn in Saudi
Neymar also met an unlikely person in the form of Oliver Kahn after yesterday’s game. Kahn is best remembered for his playing days as a deadly goalkeeper for both Bayern Munich and Germany. Apparently, the Bayern legend is on a trip to Saudi Arabia to witness the Saudi Pro League.
In a Twitter post, Kahn shared a picture of the two together. He also wrote a caption that said,
“As part of my trip, I am visiting the Saudi Pro League clubs. Many thanks to Al-Hilal FC for welcoming me to their legendary club. A great moment to meet with coaches, players, and their superstar.”
Kahn was previously the CEO of Bayern Munich, a position he was fired from on the day they won the Bundesliga this year.
Al-Hilal will next take on Navbahor on Tuesday, where Neymar can make his potential AFC Champions League debut.
