Neymar signed a two-year deal with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal after spending six years with Paris St. Germain, where he won several local titles but not the Champions League, which the club wants.
Tuesday, no details about the money were given out, but the fee was said to be about 90 million euros ($98.24 million) plus add-ons, and the 31-year-old would have to pass a medical.
L’Equipe, a French newspaper, said that Neymar could get 160 million euros from the deal.
Al-Hilal, a club in the Saudi Professional League (SPL), said that Neymar had signed a deal that would last until 2025. In a video posted on the team’s social media pages, Neymar said, “I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali.”
Neymar said after signing the deal on Tuesday in Paris, “I’ve done a lot and had great times in Europe, but I’ve always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and chances in new places.”
“I want to make new sports history, and the Saudi Pro League has a lot of great players and a lot of energy right now.
“I have heard a lot, and I know that I am following a long list of Brazilian players who have played in Saudi Arabia over the years, so I think it is the desired place.”
“I love to win and score goals, and that’s what I plan to keep doing in Saudi Arabia and with Al-Hilal.”
FEE RECORD
Neymar moved to PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for 222 million euros, which was a world record transfer fee. He played for the Paris club 173 times and scored 118 goals. He won many awards, including five Ligue 1 wins.
Neymar won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, but he had to settle for second place after PSG lost to Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.
In a club statement, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said, “It will always be hard to say goodbye to a club legend like Neymar.”
“I will never forget the day he came to Paris Saint-Germain or what he has done for our club and our project over the last six years.
“We’ve been through some amazing things, and Neymar will always be a part of our story. I want to thank him and his family for helping me.”
Neymar has also played for Brazil 124 times and scored 77 goals, which is a number he shares with Pele, who won the World Cup three times. He was on the 2013 Confederations Cup-winning Brazil team.
TRANSFERS IN SAUDI
Al-Hilal is the most successful club in both Saudi Arabia and Asia. They have won 66 awards and hold the records for the most league wins (18) and Asian Champions League titles (4).
The Riyadh-based club wants to improve its team after the Saudi Public Investment Fund announced in June that it would invest in and privatize league winners Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, and Al-Hilal.
The Saudi Pro League season started on Friday. The league spent close to $500 million to get many of Europe’s best players and coaches.
Last season, Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr right after the Qatar World Cup in a deal that made him the highest-paid player in the world. At the same time, Al-Ittihad signed French scorer Karim Benzema from Real Madrid.
Riyad Mahrez, Edouard Mendy, and Roberto Firmino, who have all won the UEFA Champions League, have all signed with Al-Ahli.
Al-Hilal also tried to sign Kylian Mbappe, a French winger who used to play with Neymar, and Lionel Messi, but Messi chose to play for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer instead.