Neymar reportedly received a two-year contract with a $100 million compensation expected per year.
Neymar, a prominent player in Brazilian football, has completed his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to Al Hilal of the Saudi Pro League, concluding a turbulent six-year tenure at the French club.
Al Hilal and PSG reportedly reached a transfer fee agreement on Monday for 90 million euros ($98 million). In its spending frenzy on elite football talent, the league, supported by the oil-rich state, would set a record with the sum.
Approximately half of Cristiano Ronaldo, 38,’s rumored yearly wage, Neymar has been offered a two-year contract that is estimated to pay the 31-year-old Brazilian star an annual salary of roughly $100m.
In a video uploaded to Al Hilal’s social media platforms, Neymar stated, “I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali.”
Neymar stated he wants to “write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment” in a statement released by the league.
“Al Hilal is the best club in Asia. It is a huge club with amazing fans. I get the impression from this that I’m choosing the appropriate club and the right time for me. I enjoy winning and scoring goals, and I intend to keep doing so with AlHilal in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: “It is always difficult to say goodbye to an amazing player like Neymar, one of the best players in the world.”
“I will never forget the day he joined Paris Saint-Germain and the contributions he has made over the past six years to our team and our project. Neymar will always play a significant role in our history, and we had a fantastic moment,” he continued.
A few weeks before they signed Kylian Mbappe, PSG acquired Neymar from Barcelona in 2017 for a then-record 222 million euro ($242 million) transfer fee. In six seasons marred by injuries, he played in 173 games and scored 118 goals.
He won three French Cups and five Ligue 1 championships, but he was on the wrong side of PSG’s loss to Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League final.
Injury has plagued him during his stay at the club, and because the team now includes players like Goncalo Ramos, a 22-year-old Portuguese striker, it is no longer thought of as a significant member of Luis Enrique’s squad.
The most successful club in Asia and Saudi Arabia is Al Hilal, which has won 66 trophies including the most league and Asian Champions League titles (18 and four, respectively).
After the Saudi Public Investment Fund announced in June an investment and privatization proposal for sports teams involving league champions Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, and Al Hilal, strengthening the team is a priority for the Riyadh-based club.