Former Al-Hilal forward Nasser Al-Shamrani has slammed Neymar’s performance in their draw against Navbahor in the AFC Champions League.
The Blues were held to a frustrating 1-1 stalemate in their opening game of the competition’s group stages on Monday evening.
Despite dominating the game in possession and chances created, Al-Hilal were unable to find the back of the net and conceded a goal against the run of play.
Ali Al-Boleahi’s stoppage-time header later rescued a point for the hosts as Navbahor pulled off a surprise result in Saudi Arabia.
The disappointing scoreline was heavily criticised after the game but Al-Hilal’s lacklustre display wasn’t the main talking point.
£77 million signing Neymar made the headlines again but for the wrong reasons as the Brazilian’s nonchalant performance left supporters and club officials concerned just over a month into his Al-Hilal career.
The 31-year-old winger made a good impression on his debut by registering an assist in Al-Hilal’s 6-1 rout of Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League after coming on as a substitute.
However, he failed to make any real impact in his second appearance despite making the starting lineup and playing the full 90 minutes.
Club legend Nasser Al-Shamrani was one of the furious spectators who was seen venting his frustration while watching the game on social media.
“I hope God saves Al-Hilal from what [Ruben] Neves and Neymar are doing at the moment,” Al-Shamrani said via X, formerly known as Twitter. “Neymar is a burden to the team.”
Al-Hilal will be looking to turn their form around in their upcoming game as they travel to face Damac in the Saudi Pro League’s seventh round on Thursday, September 21st.