Neymar Jnr may have been surprised to be greeted by a round of boos when he made an appearance at Saudi Arabia's '6 Kings Slam' tournament on Thursday night.
The football megastar joined Public Investment Fund (PIF)- owned Al-Hilal in 2023 to end his Paris Saint-Germain nightmare in a £78million move that came as a shock.
The Brazilian forward is thought to be on eye-watering money in the Saudi Pro League and was one of the division's biggest coups, penning a three-year deal that is reportedly set to earn him some £26m-a-year.
As one of the most famous faces in football in the last decade, he might expect to become something of an overnight celebrity in Saudi Arabia. However, judging by the response to his recent appearance, the opposite would appear to be true.
After coming out onto the court at the '6 Kings Slam' event, he was booed loudly by fans assembled in the 8,000-seat purpose-built arena called The Venue.
There were even audible chants of 'Ronaldo! Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo was a huge success unsurprisingly in Saudi Arabia after his move to Al-Nassr.
The Brazilian was then seen chatting to Rafael Nadal, who was beaten in straight sets 6-3 6-3 by compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in his round of the exhibition tournament.
The competition will see each competitor - Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev, Alcaraz, and Nadal - take home at least $1.5m (£1.15m) and the winner pocketing $6m (£4.6m), which is the largest pot in tennis history.
Nadal was making one of his final-ever appearances on a tennis court, having announced his imminent retirement from the sport.
His final outing will be at the Davis Cup representing Spain in November, bringing an end to a breath-taking career as arguably the greatest to ever pick up a racket.
Despite making headlines for his decision to move to Saudi Arabia, Neymar has still only actually played three top-flight games for his new club.
At that time he did look to be settling in quickly, with three assists in as many games, however, his progress was quickly halted by a serious injury.
He missed 271 days last season after being injured in his first few Al-Hilal appearances and subsequently needing to undergo corrective surgery that has required extensive rehabilitation.
Neymar could however soon return to action at Al-Hilal when as he continues to step up his recovery efforts.
Reports had linked him with a sensational return to Barcelona over the summer, though his camp was quick to pour cold water on such talk.
The football megastar joined Public Investment Fund (PIF)- owned Al-Hilal in 2023 to end his Paris Saint-Germain nightmare in a £78million move that came as a shock.
The Brazilian forward is thought to be on eye-watering money in the Saudi Pro League and was one of the division's biggest coups, penning a three-year deal that is reportedly set to earn him some £26m-a-year.
As one of the most famous faces in football in the last decade, he might expect to become something of an overnight celebrity in Saudi Arabia. However, judging by the response to his recent appearance, the opposite would appear to be true.
After coming out onto the court at the '6 Kings Slam' event, he was booed loudly by fans assembled in the 8,000-seat purpose-built arena called The Venue.
There were even audible chants of 'Ronaldo! Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo was a huge success unsurprisingly in Saudi Arabia after his move to Al-Nassr.
The Brazilian was then seen chatting to Rafael Nadal, who was beaten in straight sets 6-3 6-3 by compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in his round of the exhibition tournament.
The competition will see each competitor - Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev, Alcaraz, and Nadal - take home at least $1.5m (£1.15m) and the winner pocketing $6m (£4.6m), which is the largest pot in tennis history.
Nadal was making one of his final-ever appearances on a tennis court, having announced his imminent retirement from the sport.
His final outing will be at the Davis Cup representing Spain in November, bringing an end to a breath-taking career as arguably the greatest to ever pick up a racket.
Despite making headlines for his decision to move to Saudi Arabia, Neymar has still only actually played three top-flight games for his new club.
At that time he did look to be settling in quickly, with three assists in as many games, however, his progress was quickly halted by a serious injury.
He missed 271 days last season after being injured in his first few Al-Hilal appearances and subsequently needing to undergo corrective surgery that has required extensive rehabilitation.
Neymar could however soon return to action at Al-Hilal when as he continues to step up his recovery efforts.
Reports had linked him with a sensational return to Barcelona over the summer, though his camp was quick to pour cold water on such talk.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Neymar Jnr may have been surprised to be greeted by a round of boos when he made an appearance
00:09at Saudi Arabia's Six Kings Slam tournament on Thursday night.
00:13The football megastar joined Public Investment Fund, PIF, owned Al-Hilal in 2023 to end his
00:18Paris Saint-Germain nightmare in a £78m move that came as a shock.
00:24The Brazilian forward is thought to be on eye-watering money in the Saudi Pro League
00:27and was one of the division's biggest coups, penning a three-year deal that is reportedly
00:31set to earn him some £26m a year.
00:35As one of the most famous faces in football in the last decade, he might expect to become
00:39something of an overnight celebrity in Saudi Arabia.
00:42However, judging by the response to his recent appearance, the opposite would appear to be
00:47true.
00:49After coming out onto the court at the Six Kings Slam event, he was booed loudly by fans
00:53assembled in the 8,000-seat purpose-built arena called The Venue.
00:58The Brazilian was then seen chatting to Rafael Nadal, who was beaten in straight sets 6-3
01:026-3 by compatriot Carlos Alcarez in his round of the exhibition tournament.