RIYADH: Al-Hilal and Brazil star Neymar has revealed he hopes to be back playing football “very soon” as he continues his recovery from injury.
The 32-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star moved to Saudi Arabia last summer but suffered a season-ending ACL knee injury on international duty in October.
At the Esports World Cup at Boulevard Riyadh City on Tuesday, Neymar — an avid gamer — played for about an hour and a half at a live, sold-out show match. Team Neymar Jr defeated the recently crowned Esports World Cup Club Champions Team Falcons 2-1 after winning show matches in Counter-Strike II and TEKKEN 8, with their opponents taking the honours in Rocket League.
Speaking after the esports show match, the Neymar revealed his desire to be back on the football pitch for club and country as quickly as medically possible.
Neymar said: “I’m hoping to be back very soon. We don’t have a definite date yet, but I’ll only return when I’m 100 percent ready.
“I haven’t returned to training yet, but I’m making good progress. It’s been a challenging period for me — this wasn’t an easy injury — but I'm working hard to come back stronger and play football again.”
At the end of last season, Al-Hilal manager Jorge Jesus revealed the timeline for Neymar’s return: “We’re hopeful he might be ready to rejoin the team and start practicing by September or October,” Jesus said.
“He’s a star player, he possesses exceptional talent. Unfortunately, I can’t provide a definitive answer at this point — injuries like Neymar’s typically require 10 to 12 months for recovery.”
Neymar, who has part ownership in Brazilian esports outfit Team Furia, visited the Esports World Cup as a fan in July to watch the Dota2 Riyadh Masters and Counter-Strike 2 tournament finals. He was pictured cheering loudly as he watched the elite action unfold at the 8,000 capacity SEF Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City.
Being able to participate as a player during the Esports World Cup was something the Brazilian thoroughly enjoyed. The inaugural Esports World Cup — which features 22 games across 21 titles over a two-month period, complete with a record-breaking industry prize pool of $60 million — concludes with the closing ceremony this Sunday.
Neymar said: “The Esports World Cup is a great opportunity for the country, especially in terms of the visibility it can generate. It allows people to see what Saudi Arabia is really like. “I’ve learned a lot of positive things since coming here. It’s a fantastic country, with positive and happy people, and I hope this event opens doors for the world to experience Saudi Arabia.
“The arena here is incredible, man. Incredible. I’ve played here a bit, and it’s surreal to see what they’ve accomplished in just a few months by building it. I love the vibe here; everyone I’ve met is so nice and I made friends here.
“Saudi Arabia is doing something amazing with this project. It is truly pioneering in this industry.”
