Neymar’s indecent salary per ball hit!

By leaving Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Neymar joined the line of international stars attracted by huge offers to boost the local championship. With an XXL contract worth more than 100 million euros per year, he climbed onto the podium of the highest paid footballers in 2024, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. If these amounts testify to the excessive ambition of Saudi clubs, they contrast sharply with the sporting impact of Neymar: in 2024, the Brazilian has only played two matches, totaling 42 minutes on the pitch.

More than a million per balloon

These flash appearances gave rise to dizzying statistics. Neymar, who only touched 45 balls in these two matches, displays a ratio of 1.12 million euros per ball touched, a record which arouses as much astonishment as uneasiness. This glaring gap between remuneration and performance rekindles the debate on the excesses of salaries in football and the viability of the Saudi model, where the attractiveness of fantastic checks seems to surpass sporting requirements. In the meantime, Auriverde still declared that he found that the Saudi championship was tougher than Ligue 1. An opinion based on 42 minutes of play, therefore.

Featured Podcasts

MEN LIFE