RIYADH: Neymar became the latest superstar footballer to take the riches on offer from the Saudi Pro League, completing a move to Al Hilal on Tue­sday after six seasons at Paris St Germain in which the Brazil forward won several domestic trophies but not the Champions League the club craves.

No financial details were disclosed on Tuesday but the fee was reported to be about 90 million euros ($98.24 million) plus add-ons, a record for a league that is now financially backed by the oil-rich state, and subject to a medical for the 31-year-old.

Al Hilal, record 18-time nati­onal champions, are one of four Saudi clubs effectively nationalized by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund that claims assets of about $700 billion.

Al Hilal announced that Neymar had signed a contract until 2025, with the Brazilian saying, “I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali” in a video on the team’s social media accounts.

Neymar is expected to earn him an annual salary of about $100 million. That would be around half of the reported salary being taken home by Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al Nassr and whose move to Saudi in January sparked a slew of transfers to the kingdom by players like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Jordan Henderson.

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said after signing the contract on Tuesday in Paris.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment. I have heard a lot and learned that I am following a long list of Brazilian players who have played in Saudi Arabia over the years, so I believe it is the desired place.

“I love winning and scoring goals, and I plan to continue doing that in Saudi Arabia and with Al Hilal.”

Al Hilal are coached by Portugal’s Jorge Jesus, who is in his second spell at the club, while the squad currently boasts four international players recently lured from Europe — Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Neymar’s Brazilian compatriot Malcom.

Neymar joined PSG in 2017 from Barcelona for a world record fee of 222 million euros. He scored 118 goals in 173 appearances for the Paris club and won numerous trophies, including five Ligue 1 titles.

Neymar won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 but had to settle for a runners-up medal in the 2020 final, which PSG lost to Bayern Munich.

He 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.

“It is inevitably difficult to say goodbye to a club legend, which Neymar will always be,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khe­laifi said in a club statement.

“I will never forget the day he arrived at Paris Saint-Germain, nor what he has brought to our club and our project over the last six years. We’ve had some extraordinary moments and Neymar will always be part of our history. I would like to thank him and his family.”

Neymar has also played 124 times for Brazil, scoring 77 goals — a joint-record alongside three-time World Cup winner Pele. He was part of the Brazil team which won the Confederations Cup in 2013.

Neymar reportedly wanted to rejoin Barcelona but the Spanish club couldn’t afford the financial package required for the transfer. No other top European club was willing — or wealthy enough — to sign Neymar, who has struggled with injuries in recent years.

He was an undoubtedly talented yet often frustrating figure at the PSG, which put together a star-studded forward line of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi and now only has one of them left.

Messi joined Inter Miami this offseason and Mbappe has one year left on his deal, after which he is likely to move to Real Madrid.

Mbappe has been mired in a transfer standoff with PSG and was the subject of an offer by Al Hilal, which he turned down. The French club said Sunday it has had “constructive and positive talks” with Mbappe.

French media reported Mbappe made Neymar’s departure one of the necessary conditions for him to sign a new contract in 2022, when the former was strongly linked with a move to Real.

While Mbappe is now back in the fold, for the time being at least, Neymar has instead added himself to a growing list of high-profile players who have accepted the Saudi riches on offer.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2023