Neymar moves to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia following six seasons with Paris Saint-Germain

After six seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar completed a transfer to Al Hilal to take advantage of the riches on offer from the Saudi Pro League.

The teams agreed to move the Brazilian striker for a reported 90 million euros (USD 98 million) on Tuesday, setting a record for a league now supported financially by the oil-rich state.

 

One of four Saudi teams that have been essentially nationalized by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a sovereign wealth fund with assets estimated to be worth around USD 700 billion, is Al Hilal, a club with a record 18 national championships.

 

Neymar, 31, inked a two-year deal that would pay him an estimated $100 million in compensation per year. That would be around half of Cristiano Ronaldo’s stated pay. Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr, and his January move to Saudi Arabia triggered a wave of other players moving to the country, including Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, and Jordan Henderson.

 

Neymar added in the club’s release, “I have accomplished a lot in Europe and have had wonderful moments, but I have always wanted to be a global player and push myself with new possibilities and challenges in new locations.

 

“I want to create new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League right now has top-notch players and a ton of energy,” he said.

 

In a statement, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelafi acknowledged Neymar’s departure and referred to him as “one of the best players in the world.”

 

“I will never forget the day he arrived at Paris Saint-Germain, and what he has contributed to our club and our project over the last six years,” Al-Khelafi said.

 

“There have been wonderful times, and Neymar will always hold a special place in our history.”

 

He did, however, never win the Champions League with PSG after leaving Barcelona for 222 million euros (now 244 million USD), which continues to be a soccer transfer record.

 

Neymar allegedly wanted to return to Barcelona, but the Spanish club was unable to provide the necessary financial package. Neymar, who has had injury issues recently, was neither willing or affluent enough to join any other elite European team.

 

He played for PSG, who assembled a star-studded front line that included Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi but now only has one of them remaining, and was unquestionably brilliant but sometimes annoying.

 

Mbappe has one year remaining on his contract and is most likely go to Real Madrid after that. Messi joined Inter Miami this off-season.

 

Mbappe and PSG have been at odds about his move, and Al Hilal made an offer that the player rejected. The French team said on Sunday that it and Mbappe had “constructive and positive talks”.

 

Al Hilal’s roster also includes Portuguese midfielder Rben Neves, Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and Brazilian winger Malcom.

 

The two previous highest transfer prices paid by a Saudi club were for Malcom and Neves, who cost Wolverhampton, respectively, 60 million euros (USD 65 million) and 55 million euros (USD 60 million).