Neymar is consuming his last episodes in Saudi football. In this winter market or in the summer, but the huge amount of money he earns at Al Hilal makes it very difficult for him to leave immediately and, especially, the destinations he would like to go to, such as Santos or Inter Miami. One because of his past and the other because of the feeling of being in his prime alongside Messi and Luis Suarez. Despite his limited footballing presence in recent years, the Brazilian’s arrival in either league would activate them to the maximum, especially commercially, an area in which he is still number one. In sporting terms, it remains to be seen. Two hundred million euros is an amount far beyond the reach of the rest of football. Now he seems to be getting closer to Santos, but the deal is not an easy one. 98 million euros is what it cost the Saudi team.
Chicago Fire or Inter Miami are the two North American (MLS) teams looking to bring in Neymar. The possible departure of the Saudi Arabian club gained even more momentum after coach Jorge Jesus’ statements on Thursday, making it clear that physically the Brazilian has not been able to keep up with the pace of the team. Neymar was signed in August 2023 and in October of the same year suffered a serious knee injury, which kept him out for more than a year. He even returned to action at the end of last year, but then suffered a muscle injury, returning to medical treatment.
MLS dreams of his arrival
Although Neymar is no longer at the peak of his sporting performance, his possible move to Major League Soccer (MLS), especially if it results in a partnership with Lionel Messi, could increase the popularity of soccer in the United States and strengthen the league’s presence in the Latin American market,” says Ivan Martinho, professor of sports marketing at ESPM.
Neymar’s likely arrival in MLS inevitably draws comparisons with what happened with Messi at Inter Miami. The Argentine star’s arrival at the club in July 2023 boosted Major League Soccer, the top North American soccer league, once and for all. A study by _SponsorUnited_, published late last year, shows that sponsorship revenue reached $665 million, up 13% from 2023. Between February and October this year, 1,800 brands and 2,500 businesses were analyzed, and new partnerships in the competition were 18%.
Neymar cannot perform at the level we are used to
Jorge Jesús, entrenador del Al Hilal
The figures are only below the NHL, the North American ice hockey league, with estimated revenues of $750 million this season. If this growth continues, it will be the first time that another competition will take the spotlight from what is considered one of the major leagues in the United States, along with the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Audience hit
“Neymar is an audience cannon, in addition to his technical quality to play since he is still young. I certainly only see positive points for the league and the clubs, and the sportsman has to know how he wants to behave and what he aspires to,” says Renê Salviano, CEO of Heatmap and a specialist in sports marketing, as evidenced by the fourteen sponsorships held by the Brazilian.
With Messi, Apple TV, which exclusively broadcasts MLS matches, gained 110,000 subscribers on the day it announced the broadcasts, and almost 300,000 in a month. The platform paid $250 million a year to show the competition, for a 10-year contract until 2033. The total value of $2.5 billion, for example, is practically triple what was previously paid, around $100 million.
For Thiago Freitas, COO of Roc Nation Sports in Brazil, despite the fact that his time in Saudi Arabia is not going well on the field due to his injuries, he believes that his talent can turn the situation around. “When he is fit, he is capable of being relevant in decisive matches at any level. In addition, we have an enormous number of soccer fans in the world, not only in Brazil, who for years had Neymar as an icon, a reference that relates to fashion and style, through accessories and hairstyles, but also with music, taking choreography to the field,” said Freitas. “Neymar can be as relevant an athlete in the United States as Messi is for his team, and can also be a boost for businesses that explore your image and brand, like what happens today with Messi.”
72,610 spectators
In October 2024, MLS broke another record: for the first time, more than 11 million spectators were present at regular season matches, surpassing 2023’s 10.9 million. The numbers are directly related to Messi’s presence, as he brought an average of 23,240 league games last season. The record was set in an Inter Miami match, when 72,610 paying fans attended Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs football team, to watch the game against Sporting Kansas City.
“Just as with Messi, Neymar’s possible move to MLS would provide great visibility for soccer in the United States, as well as being responsible for increasing the League’s and the city’s revenues,” adds Fabio Wolff, managing partner of Wolff Sports and sports specialist.
Club World Cup
Neymar’s trip to the United States also has other objectives. In the coming years, from 2025 onwards, the United States will host some of the world’s major competitions. In the middle of the year, the first Club World Cup will be held (Al Hilal is qualified and promises to sign a lot for the tournament),and in 2026, the World Cup, with some North American states as the main venues. In 2028 it will be the turn of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“MLS is one of the leagues most concerned with increasing its current global visibility and, combined with this, sees room for growth in interest among its own local audience. The connection comes at a strategic time, with the country getting closer to hosting the biggest competitions. A global icon on and off the field, Neymar would not only attract new fans and sponsors, but also boost commercial partnerships, expand the league’s digital engagement and strengthen its presence in pop culture, through its relationship with fashion, music and entertainment. His presence in MLS would be a catalyst to cement soccer as a prominent sport in the country, generating long-term cultural, economic and sporting impacts,” analyzes Wagner Leitzke, digital marketing leader at End to End.
The footballer Neymar
The Brazilian wants to be at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, despite the fact that he has not played a game with his national team since October 2023, injury permitting. With Al Hilal he has not played more than seven games, which means a 17-month hiatus in which he has been practically away from competitive tension, which has led him not to be registered to play with the Saudi team. The first challenge must be to become a footballer again, which is complicated, and then to think about challenges.
“He chose not to be a top player
Sport TV
“He chosen not to be a top-level player,” they say bluntly on SporTV’s ‘Seleçao’ programme, referring to the choices Neymar has made in recent years. “If we talk about technical quality, ‘Ney’ could play for any team in the world. In the World Cup he was one of the best in the world, against Croatia he scored an anthological goal, but things have changed very quickly: his serious injury, his age…“