The Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr. is one of the biggest footballing stars in the world. The 31-year-old has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, such as FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, and now he is playing for one of Asia’s biggest clubs, Al-Hilal.
Neymar Jr. recently opened his goal-scoring account for his new club Al-Hilal in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday, October 3rd, at Azadi Stadium against FC Nassaji Mazandaran. After the win, he tweeted a Bible verse.
Neymar Jr.’s reference to ‘Book of Genesis’ after ACL match
Al-Hilal traveled to the capital of Iran to play their AFC Champions League Group D match against the Iranian side Nassaji Mazandaran at their home ground, Azaadi Stadium.
Prior to the Champions League match, Neymar had reacted to the pitch condition of the opponent’s ground. Despite the initial concern, the pitch held up throughout the match. Neymar ended his goal drought of four consecutive games in the 58th minute with a left-foot strike; the number ten looked lively in the contest.
A decisive 3-0 victory allowed the team that finished as runners-up last season to comfortably overcome the Iranian side, solidifying their position at the summit of the Champions League Group D standings.
In addition to Neymar, the other two goals came from the Former Fulham striker Aleksander Mitrovic who scored the opener, and Saleh Alshehri netted an added-time goal to seal the win.
Following his performance, Neymar received a standing ovation from the away fans.
Post-match he replied to a tweet, quoting a verse from the bible which says, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Neymar will seek to continue his fine goal-scoring form against Al-Akhdoud on Sunday in the Saudi Pro League away fixture.
Neymar Jr. reported $569,603 per month ‘ethical clause’ at PSG
Apart from the former PSG star’s exceptional footballing ability, he is known for his religious beliefs. On various occasions with national teams, he has expressed his faith God. In an Instagram post, he wrote, “I am the SON OF THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE, and my FAITH is endless.”
Neymar has always been vocal about his faith in Christianity, once saying, “Life only makes sense when our highest ideal is to serve Christ.”
However, while playing for Paris Saint Germain, the star was reportedly paid half a million euros to avoid talking about religious faith, and in total, he earned around €6.2 million per year, due to an “ethical clause” to refrain from any political or religious act that could affect the image and unity of the club.
