“Football is back” – Fans thrilled as Neymar Jr. FINALLY makes return to pitch after over a year on the sidelines

Fans delighted with the return of Neymar Jr after a staggering hiatus as Al Hilal secures thrilling AFC Champions League win.

“Football is back” – Fans thrilled as Neymar Jr. FINALLY makes return to pitch after over a year on the sidelines

Neymar Jr, image courtesy: X

A long wait for the fans finally met its end as Neymar Jr. returned to competitive football after 369 days. As Al Hilal was locked in a ferocious AFC Champions League clash, Neymar Jr. was introduced into the mix in the 76th minute. The entire crowd broke into a hysterical frenzy, welcoming the Brazilian superstar back to the yard.

Neymar Jr. ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) a year ago. The Brazilian icon replaced Nasser Al Dawsari in the 77th minute. This move came on the back of Salem Al Dawsari’s strike to put Al Hilal in the driver’s seat in what was a very closely contested encounter. Moments within coming on, he created a phenomenal move instantly, exchanging a 1-2 with Aleksandar Mitrovic.

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After the game against Al Ain, Neymar said that he was very happy to return to the yard. Neymar joined Al Hilal in August 2023 from PSG in a staggering €90 million move but could only play five games before the damning injury pushed him to the sidelines. Neymar’s injury also took him out of the Copa America and the subsequent CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

It was an intense battle between two side with a goalfest reigning supreme in the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium. Renan Lodi opened the scoring for Al Hilal while Soufiane Rahimi restored parity for Al Ain. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic propelled Al Hilal to a slender lead for a second time before Salem Al Dawsari blasted home a hattrick.

Strikes in between by Rahimi and Mateo Sanabria kept things thrilling. A late red card against Ali Albulayhi left Al Hilal depleted, but the victory was clinched emphatically.

Here is what X had to say about Neymar Jr.’s return

Netizens on X were delighted to welcome Neymar back, as congratulatory messages poured in from all corners of the globe. Apart from the netizens, Neymar’s former club Santos also posting a strong message for the Brazilian, stating that his appearance in football is sheer joy. They also lauded the bond that he shared with the fans, a connection that drives Santos.

Neymar Jr
Neymar Jr, image courtesy: X

He received a powerful message from the Brazilian national team as well, who stated that the star striker is a representation of the magic that the nation’s football team brings. X had no intentions of holding back all the love that they had for the Brazilian talisman as the micro-blogging platform was deluged with congratulatory messages.

Al Hilal is currently at the top of the Saudi Pro League with seven wins from seven games that has garnered them 21 points. Next in line is Al Ittihad, second with 18 points, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr stays in the third spot with five wins from seven games. Al Hilal will be playing their next game against Al Taawoun.