Neymar expressed astonishment when he came across footage that seemed to reveal an unfinished pitch being hastily prepared by hand before Al-Hilal’s Asian Champions League clash in Iran, scheduled for Tuesday.
The Brazilian star has become the face of the Saudi Pro League leaders following his £78 million transfer from PSG to the Middle East during the summer.
While his time in Saudi Arabia has been marked by injury setbacks, he has managed to secure consecutive starts in the league, sharing the spotlight with notable players like Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who have also joined the Al-Hilal ranks.
Al-Hilal is set to face Iranian side Nassaji Mazandaran in their second Asian Champions League group stage match on Tuesday, but Neymar expressed his dissatisfaction with the condition of the pitch leading up to the fixture.
Social media footage captured workers at the Azadi Stadium making last-minute adjustments, attempting to fill in gaps on the field.
Individuals dressed casually could be seen placing squares of turf onto what seemed to be a concrete surface.
Neymar was taken aback by these scenes and took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to comment, stating, “This is not possible” accompanied by facepalm and laughing emojis.
The grass appeared to be thinly spread atop the concrete, while a nearby individual worked to even out the ground beneath for the placement of additional patches.
The video panned across the stadium, revealing a pitch that would not have looked out of place in a Sunday league match, as hurried preparations were made to ensure the game could proceed as planned.
Al-Hilal boasts a strong history in the cup competition, having secured the title four times, making them the most successful team in the AFC Champions League.
Their most recent victory in the competition occurred two years ago, and Neymar hopes to contribute to another championship win, aiming to improve upon a challenging start to his Al-Hilal career.
It’s worth noting that Neymar has yet to score in the Saudi Pro League, and there have been rumors of a strained relationship between him and Al-Hilal head coach Jorge Jesus.
This is not possible 🤦🏽♂️😂
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) October 1, 2023
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior
BrazilThis season he played in total 3 times for 206 minutes for Pro League.
Neymar didn’t score any goal for Al Hilal. He procured twice assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Pro League. In the last match Al Hilal won 2-0 against Al Shabab. The next match in Pro League will be against Al Akhdoud.
Al Hilal performance and stats
Al Hilal
Al Hilal is currently 1st in the Pro League with 20 points.
In the last 8 games, it has won 6 times and drawn twice. In its last match, Al Hilal won 2-0 against Al Shabab.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 23 goals and conceding 7.
Al Hilal will play the next match in Pro League against Al Akhdoud on Saturday 7th of October in Mahalah. The prediction is Al Hilal winning the match.
