The Brazilian football star Neymar has officially moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Saudi Arabia’s Pro League side Al Hilal. This transfer comes after PSG accepted a bid of £80 million ($102 million) for Neymar. The move was finalized on Monday after Neymar successfully completed a medical examination.
Neymar has now signed a two-year contract with Al Hilal, a club based in Riyadh. This marks a significant change for the player, who has been a prominent figure in the football world.
President and CEO of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, expressed his feelings about Neymar’s departure. He described Neymar as one of the best players globally and acknowledged his contributions to the club over the last six years. Al-Khelaïfi thanked Neymar and his family for their time with PSG and wished them the best in their future endeavours.
Neymar’s decision to move came after playing in PSG’s pre-season matches. However, it became apparent last week that both Neymar and midfielder Marco Verratti were not part of the club’s plans for the upcoming season under new head coach Luis Enrique.
Al Hilal, which is now owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, showed significant interest in Neymar’s talents. They had previously made an offer of €300 million (£259 million; $332 million) for Kylian Mbappe in the recent past.
Neymar initially joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for €222 million. Throughout his time with PSG, he managed to score 118 goals in 173 matches. Unfortunately, his career at the club was marred by injuries, limiting his appearances in Ligue 1 matches to 22 or fewer during each of his six seasons in Paris.
Notably, Neymar has made history with the Brazilian national team. He made his debut at the age of 17 and has since become Brazil’s joint-all-time top scorer alongside Pele. With an impressive record of 77 goals in 124 games, Neymar’s contributions to his national team are noteworthy.
The summer has been full of speculation about Kylian Mbappe’s future at PSG. The 24-year-old player decided not to extend his contract beyond June 2024, leading PSG to consider selling him to avoid losing him as a free agent next year. The club initially excluded Mbappe from first-team training but later reversed this decision after productive discussions.
