From Santos to PSG, Neymar's memorable debuts ahead of potential Al Hilal bow

Brazil superstar Neymar looks set to make his highly anticipated Al Hilal debut in Friday night's Saudi clasico against arch-rivals Al Ittihad.

Neymar, 31, joined Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain for €90 million earlier this month but a minor injury has meant his new fans have had to be patient as they wait for a first glimpse of him in action.

That should come in Jeddah on Friday at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, where an expected capacity crowd in excess of 60,000 will see the two unbeaten rivals go head to head in the Saudi Pro League.

The Al Hilal faithful are not the first group of supporters who have been desperate to see Neymar in action. The Sao Paulo-born forward's debuts have always been heavily hyped occasions. Here we look at how they have played out over the years. Spoiler alert: They tend to go quite well.

Date: March 7, 2009. Age: 17.

By the time he made his Santos debut, Neymar was already earmarked for greatness. Less than a month after his 17th birthday his career in the senior ranks began as he was brought on for the last 30 minutes in a 2–1 win against Oeste. It was almost a dream start for the fresh-faced newcomer, who was only denied a debut goal by the crossbar.

“Football is a mixture of seriousness and fun. I have to keep playing the same way, because my time will come,” Neymar said after the game, the first words spoken to a ravenous Brazilian media soon to obsess over his every move. “Before entering, the people who were in the bank talked to me and calmed me down. When the ball rolled, I tried to show my football and almost scored. It was bad luck! The ball took the crossbar, but next time it will come.”

He was right. The following week he scored his first goal for Santos, against Mogi