After a pool of top-profile players were joining the Saudi Pro League, Neymar too has now joined the bandwagon. The whole exodus started after legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo made the move to Al-Nassr.
Following him, several footballing superstars have made their move to Saudi Arabia to play in their football league, Saudi Pro League.
Al-Hilal has confirmed the signing of the Brazilian forward in a deal that is worth €160m for a period of 2 overs. Notably, Al-Hilal also had previously signed Ruben Neves for around $60 million.
The club took to social media to announce that Neymar had come and he expressed his joy in the video.
“I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am HILALI,” said Neymar in the video posted by Al-Hilal.
Neymar had completed a record move to PSG from Barcelona in 2017
In a record fee that was around 222 million euros, Neymar had put the entire world into shock when he moved to PSG. The 31-year-old striker played 112 games for them and scored 82 goals.
Previously, he had plied his trade for the Catalan Giants in 123 games and had found his name on the goal-scoring sheet on 68 occasions. Neymar had started his senior team career while playing for Santos.
Neymar is notably one of the most popular footballers in the world. Hailing from Brazil, Neymar is known for his quick speed and agility and for his slick passing. The Brazilian can execute the stepovers quite well and is quick inside the penalty box.
Al Hilal is one of four clubs that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund acquired control of in June as part of the nation’s “Sports Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project.” The other three clubs are Al Nassr, Al Ahli, and Al Ittihad.
The club started the Saudi Pro League 2023-24 with a bang. They defeated Abha 3-1. Malcom had netted a hat-trick for the side as they stamped their authority in this game.
With Neymar coming into their side, Al-Hilal would be pretty confident in this season’s campaign.
Al-Hilal had finished in the 3rd position in Saudi Pro League 2022-23, with 17 wins in 30 games. They had 59 points under their belt and had also registered 8 draws.
Al-Ittihad had finished as the champions of the Saudi Pro League 2022-23 and would be favourites once again in this edition. The likes of Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante have joined them and have made them a strong side.
Also read: Durand Cup 2023: Earthquake Shakes Guwahati; Team Hotels Of Chennaiyin FC & FC Goa Affected
