“This guy’s time in the limelight could be over” – Liverpool legend aims brutal dig at Neymar over Saudi transfer
Former Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has questioned Neymar Jr.'s move to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League and believes his time at the top could be over. This comes after Brazil's disappointing 1-1 draw against Venezuela in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying game.
Nicol considers Neymar to be lucky that the Saudi Pro League have started spending big in the transfer window. He feels the former Barcelona superstar would have remained an unwanted commodity at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) otherwise.
Nicol was quoted as saying the following on the "ESPN FC" podcast:
“Do you know the one thing that came to my mind after this game? Is Neymar’s time really just gone?”
He added:
“Well – because this is a guy who nobody wanted to sign from PSG. [His] timing was just lucky that the Saudi League started. Otherwise, he’d still be at PSG, stuck. I’m sorry, but maybe this guy’s time in the limelight could be over.”
Brazil had a disappointing outing against Venezuela on Thursday (October 12) in the World Cup qualifier. So much so that some frustrated Selecao supporter threw a box of popcorn at Neymar as he was heading inside to the dressing room.
It is fair to say that the Al-Hilal superstar was not pleased with the antics shown by anger sets of supporters. He criticized the behavior and claimed that he and his teammates always give their best to succeed on the pitch and will continue to take pride in representing their nation.
The Brazilian was quoted as saying the following after the game against Venezuela (via Metro):
“I didn’t even see what it was, but when it hit me, I got nervous. I condemn this kind of attitude, it shouldn’t be done, it’s bad for football, for human beings.”
How has Neymar Jr. performed for Al-Hilal this season?
Neymar Jr. joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for a fee of around £86 million this summer. However, he has had a slow start to life in Saudi Arabia.
The Brazil superstar arrived in the Middle East with a muscular injury which saw him miss his first four league matches for his new side. As things stand, he has contributed a goal and three assists in five matches for Al-Hilal across all competitions.
The former PSG superstar contributed two assists on his Saudi Pro League debut against Al-Riyadh where he side secured a dominating 6-1 win. The solitary goal he scored was against Iranian side Nassaji Mazandaran in Matchday 2 of the AFC Champions League, helping Al-Hilal secure a 3-0 victory.