After failing to sign Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi from Paris Saint-Germain with world-record deals, Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal finally penned a deal with a player from the French Ligue 1 powerhouse. As things stand, 31-year-old Brazilian football superstar and the record holder for the most expensive football transfer ever, Neymar, will be leaving the French capital and embark onto the Saudi region for the next move of his professional career. The transfer fee of Neymar from Al-Hilal is reported to be at £86.3 million, and the joint-top scorer of the Brazil national team will be earning a lucrative salary of £259.8 million in his two seasons with the Saudi Pro League outfit.
Also Read: Chelsea vs. Liverpool: Thrilling Battle at the Bridge Ends in a 1-1 Draw
Neymar Joins Koulibaly, Neves, Milinković-Savić, Etc. at Al-Hilal
The Riyadh-based Al-Hilal is home to former European club players such as Senegal national team captain Kalidou Koulibaly, ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers player Rúben Neves, former Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić, etc. and had immediately showed their incredible progress by making it into the Arab Club Champions Cup Final, before losing the match 2-1 to Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané’s Al-Nassr after extra time.
Al-Hilal will be offering a two-year contract for the 31-year-old forward from Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil with a massive annual salary of approximately £130 million per year in two seasons. Furthermore, he will be spoilt with perks such as a private jet, a huge house with staff as well as bonuses for every Al-Hilal win and social media post that promotes the Saudi Pro League and Saudi Arabia.
In Neymar’s £86.3-million transfer to the Saudi Pro league, Al-Hilal is said to have beaten English Premier League club Chelsea and Spanish La Liga side Barcelona, who wanted the Brazilian star to return to Spain via a loan deal in this transfer; The route was considered not ideal according to Neymar’s camp and the defending French Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-Germain as both parties wanted a permanent deal.
Leaving Paris for Al-Hilal After Six Seasons
Since the start of his senior career at Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Santos, Neymar has been tipped to be the “Next Big Thing” in football. Following 136 goals scored in 225 appearances for the Brazilian club, Neymar decided to leave South America and join the Catalan Giants in the 2013/2014 Season, a place where he propelled his status to one of the best football players in the world, which was seen in his third-placed finishes behind two greatest footballers of all-time Ronaldo and Messi in the 2015 and 2017 Ballon d’Or awards.
His star-studded career at the Barcelona quickly attracted Paris Saint-Germain‘s attention, who then plotted a world-record €222-million transfer for the Brazilian forward. Despite being constantly plagued by injuries and not winning European club football competitions at Paris with fellow superstars such as Mbappé and Messi during his six-season spell, Neymar enjoyed an incredible 195-goal contribution (Goals + assists) in 173 appearances in addition to his multiple domestic league and cup victories for the club.
In terms of international performances, Neymar has tied late football great Pelé for the all-time goal scoring record for the Brazilian national team at 77 goals and is only 19 caps away from beating legendary AC Milan full-back Cafu’s all-time record of 142 international appearances for the Seleção Canarinha. It is interesting to see how will Neymar’s departure from European club football to join the oil-rich Saudi region affect the rest of his international career from now on.
Neymar’s move to PSG in 2017 is 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 the world-record signing.
He scored goals, he dazzled, he won trophies.
But his time in Paris was a mixed bag 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/8mxB4UUt6o
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 14, 2023
Is Neymar’s Al-Hilal Move a Ronaldo Effect?
Neymar’s expensive transfer to leave Paris Saint-Germain and join Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League during his peak needed no time to break the internet and the football world, with many experts calling the move the “Biggest wasted career” and an effect created by five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The 38-year-old Ronaldo had famously highlighted that the Saudi Pro League he belongs to is much better than Lionel Messi’s Major League Soccer, following many clubs in the Saudi region able to land notable names from European football clubs starting last year.
Where to Watch the Saudi Pro League?
If you wish to catch the Saudi Pro League live at the comfort of your mobile phone or device, we would like to recommend you with AsiaSport‘s free live stream services. Apart from high-definition live videos, registering an account at AsiaSport will enable you an instant access to match highlights, reports, latest news and many football-related activities without you paying a single cent. Sign up and watch matches in every football league in the world with a few clicks now.
