Saudi Arabia may not have been able to convince Kylian Mbappé to join the growing exodus from Europe to Saudi Arabia, but they did manage to prize away Paris Saint-Germain colleague and Brazilian superstar Neymar after the 31-year-old has officially agreed a two-year contract with Al-Hilal.
The Roshn Saudi League giants parted ways with €90m to bring the Brazilian icon to King Fahd International Stadium, where he will join up with fellow arrivals Malcom, Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinković-Savić, and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Per Fabrizio Romano, Neymar is in line to receive a wage packet of $300m across his two years in the Gulf Kingdom, but his deal does not include an extension.
That figure could reportedly go as high as $400m depending on add-ons and other commercial deals, including rumored reports that he stands to net $500k for each social media post he makes that focuses on Saudi Arabia during his time there.
Neymar becomes the 30th player to join the Saudi top flight after the PIF-backed market assault continues this summer, with reports from ESPN’s Mark Ogden suggesting that the league intends to hit 50 new arrivals before the close of their transfer window.
Per Ogden’s report, there was only one destination for Neymar this summer, however, no top sides on the continent fielded credible interest in the player on account of his wage demands as well as his abhorrent injury record spanning the entirety of his career in Europe since his arrival at Barcelona in 2013.
Despite injuries and questions surrounding his negative influences while at both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar’s ability has never been in doubt, however, with the Mogi das Cruzes-born forward hitting 223 goals in 359 appearances for the two European giants, not including the 136 goals he smashed for boyhood club Santos across 225 appearances.
Additionally, he currently sits as the joint all-time top scorer for Brazil, leveling Ronaldo’s 77 goals and guaranteed to set a new marker in due course.
While some may question whether his move to PSG was ever worth it, Neymar remains one of the most gifted players to ever grace the European continent.
