It was six years ago that Brazil's football icon, Neymar, set sail from Barcelona's shores to grace the stage of Paris Saint-Germain in a record-shattering 222 million euros ($243 million at that time) deal.
Fast forward to the present, at the age of 31, the enigmatic forward once again takes the flight, departing European football, albeit temporarily, to tread the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia.
A constellation of illustrious players has been making their way to Saudi Arabia, and Neymar is now a star in that celestial lineup.
According to whispers from the football cosmos, his annual salary at Al-Hilal is set to dazzle at a staggering 150 million euros, a sum that outshines his PSG earnings sixfold.
This magnanimous shift has been sealed with a two-year contract, painting an audacious narrative of his footballing adventure.
During his tenure at PSG, Neymar's tally reached 173 appearances with a tally of 13 trophies, including the Ligue 1 crown on five occasions.
Yet, within the heart of his aspirations lay an unquenched thirst: The Champions League, Europe's most coveted prize.
This elusive glory, unfortunately, remained out of reach, brushing his grasp only when PSG reached the pinnacle in the 2020 final.
"It's a contentious departure," reflects South American football oracle Tim Vickery. "A withdrawal from the battleground of elite European football," he continues, his words echoing through the airwaves of the BBC World Service.
Neymar's departure, Vickery contends, may bear the seeds of an "au revoir," a temporary adieu to Europe with an envisioned rendezvous in two years.
The pundit speculated on the paucity of alternatives that Ney had in his playbook.
This unfolding chapter unveils yet another vignette in Neymar's tapestry of triumphs and trials, a journey of crescendos and lulls that have shaped his footballing essence.
Brazil's football stage saw the emergence of a prodigious talent, Neymar, his destiny interwoven with the iconic Santos.
At the tender age of 17, he etched his name onto the professional realm, debuting with Santos in March 2009.
His early exploits included a debut goal a week later, illuminating his path with 14 strikes in 48 appearances that season.
The year 2010 cast Neymar on an international canvas, donning the sacred yellow of Brazil.
August witnessed his maiden senior appearance against the USA, a stage where it took him merely 28 minutes to inscribe his debut with a goal.
The mark of a future luminary was indelibly imprinted.
The Barcelona chapter bore witness to Neymar's pivotal role, a triumphant synergy with Messi and Suarez.
"MSN," the moniker whispered in footballing corridors, became synonymous with greatness as La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League succumbed to their brilliance.
This period also saw Brazil hoist the Confederations Cup with Neymar as its resplendent heart.
As the World Cup returned to its Brazilian abode, Neymar embodied the nation's dreams.
The quarterfinal clash against Colombia, however, bore agony, as an ill-fated collision marred his path.
Brazil's resilience soared amid the agony, but it came at the cost of Neymar's absence, a haunting 7-1 defeat to Germany defining the narrative.
Barcelona continued to script their saga of triumphs, where Neymar, Messi and Suarez kindled a firestorm of goals.
In 2015-16, the trio orchestrated 131 strikes, an unprecedented chapter in Spanish football.
With domestic laurels adorning their mantelpiece, Neymar aimed for redemption on home soil, capturing Brazil's inaugural Olympic football gold.
His debut resonated with flair, a harbinger of 28 goals in 30 matches that propelled PSG to the Ligue 1, French Cup and League Cup trinity.
Yet, fractures and injuries marred his Parisian journey, a bittersweet trajectory.
Rumors swirled, entwining Neymar with a return to Barcelona, creating an off-season crescendo.
His PSG odyssey bore the fruit of a Ligue 1 triumph and an elusive Champions League final, where Bayern Munich narrowly eclipsed their hopes.
Neymar's conundrum was palpable, a tantalizing blend of achievements and uncertainties.
A reunion with Messi heralded renewed hopes, but 2021 proved a year of frustration, yielding a modest goal tally.
The subsequent season signaled a rejuvenation, his synergy with Messi and Mbappe unleashing a gale of goals.
Alas, a shadow descended as injury struck, truncating his season, with a triumphant victory against Lille sealing his PSG journey.
As the curtain falls on this Parisian act, a question mark hovers, a query about legacy and untapped potential.
"Disappointment," Tim Vickery muses, an unfair verdict considering the tapestry of trials.
But beyond this, Neymar's legacy sparkles with Brazil's embrace, with a pantheon of goals rivaling the great Pele.
The canvas is far from complete, and the narrative is poised for the forthcoming chapters.
The Saudi sand dunes await Neymar's footprints, and Europe's grand stages beckon with anticipation.
