Neymar's dreary spell in the Middle East could be about to come to an end. And while it has been an abject failure on the pitch, the Brazilian has dramatically boosted his bank balance off it.
As a former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain superstar, Al-Hilal thought they had pulled off a major coup by luring him to Saudi Arabia last August. It took a whopping £77.6million transfer fee and a mind-boggling set of perks to get the deal done.
Chief of which is Neymar's £129.4m-a-year base salary, which works out to a staggering £2.9m per week. The club has also laid on a 25-bedroom mansion with three saunas and five permanent staff, a private jet, and a 24-hour driver.
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Now, in an incredible turn of events, Neymar looks set to leave Al-Hilal in January as the Saudi side are said to be weighing up whether to terminate his contract. Reports in South America suggest that an emotional return to boyhood club Santos has already been agreed, and Palmeiras president Leila Pereira backed up those claims herself.
"He is a great player, but he will not come to our club," she explained. "There is absolutely no problem but he will not come here. He is going to Santos."
Having suffered an ACL injury last October, and then a hamstring tear shortly after his return to the side, Neymar has played just seven games during the entirety of his Al-Hilal stint.
In 15 months he has banked approximately £161.8m, not including bonuses, which equates to a staggering £23.1m per match. Even when Neymar is on the pitch, he has not been productive, with one goal and two assists all he has to show for his limited number of appearances.
Given his latest hamstring setback, Neymar may not see the pitch again in Saudi Arabia before he jumps ship, if claims of a return to Brazil are to be believed. The 32-year-old made his name at Santos, scoring 136 goals in 225 games during his younger years.
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Now, with lucrative spells in Spain, France and Saudi under his belt, his net worth is believed to exceed a quarter of a billion pounds.
The Saudis have also spent extortionate sums on their other poster boy, Cristiano Ronaldo. But unlike Neymar, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has returned some semblance of value for money by hitting 74 goals in 85 games for Al-Nassr.
