"Neymar has more passion for private life than football," says Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus

Neymar has been ruled out for the entire season

The head coach of Al-Hilal, Jorge Jesus, has brought attention to a significant personality difference between Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. The two are vying for the crown as they play in the Saudi Pro League right now.

After 19 games, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr are in third place in the league standings, seven points behind Neymar’s Al-Hilal.

According to Jesus, both football players thrive at their respective positions on the pitch. But he feels that Ronaldo is more committed to the game of football, and the Brazil international enjoys his life off the field of play.

According to a quote from Jorge Jesus (via UOL):

“Cristiano Ronaldo has more passion for football and, therefore, puts that as a priority. Neymar has more passion for other things and he puts these other things, which is his private life, ahead. But as a player he is fabulous and as man, I spent a month and a half with him, he positively surprised me in everything.”

Trending World Football Articles:

• Top four players with most goals in 2023
• Top six players with most assists in 2023
• Best goals scored in football in 2023: Ranked
• Top 10 best footballers of 2023: Ranked
• Best football matches of 2023: Ranked

One of the first well-known athletes to play in the Saudi Pro League was Cristiano Ronaldo. Celebrities like Neymar and Karim Benzema have additionally relocated from Europe to Saudi Arabia after his relocation.

For an estimated €90 million, the Brazilian superstar moved from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He will stay with Al-Hilal till the end of the 2024–25 season after agreeing to a two-year contract. He reportedly makes about €150 million a year, six times the amount he did in France, as reported by Forbes.

In the Saudi Pro League, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar experienced rather different seasons. The attacker, who was previously with Barcelona and PSG, sustained a knee ligament injury in October 2023 and is presently sidelined.

Still, Neymar’s performance was dreadful before the tragic injury. In just five games across every league, the attacking player had made three assists and one goal for Al-Hilal. He is yet to make an impact in the Saudi Pro League for his new squad.

Conversely, Cristiano Ronaldo is having a fantastic season at Al-Nassr. In 25 games in every league, the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or has netted 24 goals and given up 11 assists.

He is currently the competition’s leading goalscorer with 20 of those goals coming from the Saudi Pro League.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.