Neymar Officially Signs With Saudi Arabia Side Al-Hilal; Talks About Playing Against Cristiano Ronaldo Again

After an injury-riddled six seasons in France, Brazilian superstar Neymar is moving to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Hilal. He will potentially play against other big names lured in by Saudi money, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to the Associated Press, his previous club, Paris Saint-Germaine agreed to transfer the Brazilian forward to Al-Hilal for a reported 90 million euros, which is around $98 million. Neymar spent six seasons in Paris and still played brilliantly despite being hampered by injuries.

His new club, Al-Hilal, is considered the most prestigious team in the Saudi Pro League, winning 18 national championships, a record for the league. It is also one of four Saudi clubs that are financed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

Neymar is expected to earn an annual salary of about $100 million, which is around half of what Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly earning after agreeing to play in Saudi Arabia. He currently plays for Al Nassr, another club funded by the PIF.

Other big names have recently signed to play in the Middle Eastern kingdom, including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, and Jordan Henderson. The biggest names who have signed to play there so far are Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.

Al Hilal previously tried going after Neymar's old PSG teammates, Argentinian Lionel Messi and French-Cameroonian Kylian Mbappe. However, both turned the Saudi club down, with Messi signing with US team Inter Miami while Mbappe's status with PSG is currently in limbo.

Neymar has now been officially presented as the club's newest addition and stated, "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."

He added, "I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment."

Neymar Vs. Cristiano Ronaldo Date Revealed

After his presentation, talks of his potential match-up against Cristiano Ronaldo started surfacing, as the Portuguese superstar is playing for the club that beat Al-Hilal for the Saudi Pro League title, Al-Nassr.

Neymar reportedly called Ronaldo a "genius." The two will be expected to face off on November 30, which is when both clubs will next meet each other, according to The Mirror.

As for his new team, Al-Hilal will be stuffed with talent as the club recently acquired ex-Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, and Brazilian compatriot Malcom.

Neymar Talks About His New Club

Following his arrival in Riyadh, the club presented Neymar before the public. During his official unveiling, the Brazilian heaped praises for his new club.

"Al Hilal is a giant club with fantastic fans, and it is the best in Asia. This gives me a feeling that it is the right decision for me at the right time with the right club. I love winning and scoring goals and I plan to continue doing that in Saudi Arabia and with Al-Hilal," he said.

According to Al-Jazeera English, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi reacted to the Brazilian's departure, saying, "It is always difficult to say goodbye to an amazing player like Neymar, one of the best players in the world."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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