Neymar has terminated his contract with Al-Hilal to join Santos in Brazil (Image: Getty)
Neymar will reportedly earn half the average salary of a player after taking a whopping pay cut to ditch Saudi Arabia. The Brazil icon is expected to return to Santos after leaving Al-Hilal.
The Saudi club have terminated Neymar’s contract after he made just three Pro League appearances. He had only recently returned from an ACL injury.
Neymar bagged a two-year contract worth a staggering £260million when he arrived in Saudi Arabia 18 months ago. The 32-year-old was earning £2.5m per week after becoming one of the most high-profile stars to ditch Europe for the riches of the Middle East.
He pocketed an incredible £193.8m during his brief stint in the country.
But the bubble soon burst and Neymar looked for a quick way out. Al-Hilal agreed to terminate his contract last week, with it widely expected that he will re-join his former club Santos.
Neymar started his senior career with the Brazilian outfit. He is reportedly prepared to take a remarkable pay cut to go back to his roots.
According to , Santos are paying Neymar a measly £32,500. It is a 99 per cent pay cut from his Saudi salary. However, it is reported that he will claim 90 per cent of his image rights as another source of income.
The average wage in the is £60,000 per week, according to the well-respected salary website Capology. Neymar will be on a little over half of that figure and there will be several lower-profile players on much bigger salaries.
For example, at , Tom Heaton and Jonny Evans both take home more money. Third-choice goalkeeper Heaton earns £45,000, while veteran defender Evans is on £65,000.
Man Utd goalkeeper Tom Heaton earns more than Neymar will at Santos (Image: Getty)
’s third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli earns around the same as Neymar will be paid in Brazil.
Neymar’s move to Santos is yet to be confirmed. However, a video posted on Al-Hilal’s social media channels hinted that the deal is close to being completed.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star gave a speech to his team-mates in which he bid farewell. He told them that he was moving home. He said: “Today I am very happy to be able to go, return home. To my country.
“It was a pleasure for me to play for this club. It was a short time, things were not as I expected. I could not help you on the pitch as I wanted.”