Brazil forward Neymar has signed for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain, the clubs announced on Tuesday, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as the latest big name lured to the oil-rich Gulf state.
“I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali,” said Neymar, who has penned a two-year deal, in a video posted to Al Hilal’s social media accounts. It is always difficult to say goodbye to an amazing player like Neymar, one of the best players in the world,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in a statement from the French champions.
“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. We had a great moment and Neymar will always be a big part of our history,” he added.
“I am here in Saudi Arabia, i am HILALI 💙”@neymarjr #AlHilal
pic.twitter.com/q7VUhf0FnQ— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) August 15, 2023
Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of €222 million, a few weeks before they recruited Kylian Mbappe.
The Brazilian scored 118 goals in 173 matches for PSG, winning five Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups, but his time at PSG was blighted by a catalogue of injuries.
Although he helped the club to the 2020 Champions League final, which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich, he was sidelined for key games. Neymar underwent surgery on his right ankle in early March, only returning to join PSG on their pre-season tour of Asia.
However, he no longer figured in new coach Luis Enrique’s plans and was immediately linked with a move to Al-Hilal, where he will earn “100 million euros a season”, according to a source close to the negotiations.
PSG will not come close to recouping the fee they paid for Neymar but will still pocket close to 100 million euros as well, according to the same source. Al-Hilal have traditionally been one of Saudi Arabia’s top clubs and have been crowned Asian Champions League winners on four occasions.
Source: supersport
In other news – Caster Semenya celebrates her mother
South African athlete, Caster Semenya celebrated her mother who turned a new age. The star shared a lovely photo of herself with her mother and captioned it with words of eulogy and gratitude.
A happy birthday to you Queen Mother, thank you for this precious life you have given to me. I appreciate you and will always be grateful for that. I hope you had a great one and wish you many more to come,” she wrote. Read more
