After six rollercoaster seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, Brazilian soccer player Neymar Jr. is set to depart for Saudi Arabia to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, in a deal that has shocked the football world. According to reports, PSG has agreed to sell the Latin American striker to Al-Hilal for 90 million euros. Neymar has signed a two-year contract as he is set to undergo his medical before he joins the club.
Neymar is now the latest football star to make the move to Saudi Arabia in recent months. Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December of last year, and a slew of players moved to the Saudi Pro League this summer. Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino, N'Golo Kanté, and Kalidou Koulibaly are among those included.
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Fans have reacted to the news of Neymar Jr's now confirmed transfer from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. Fans were appalled to learn about Neymar's transfer and rushed to Twitter to express their outrage.
One netizen tweeted, “Biggest wasted career ever.” Another tweeted Cristiano Ronaldo effect,” nodding to Neymar's transfer decision. Many Twitter users have posted their opinions on the microblogging platform, where they comment on how Ronaldo is the biggest reason why star soccer palyers choose to join Saudi clubs.
Many are also expressing their disappointment. One particular tweet read: “Neymar is so finished.” Some have also called this move the end of an era where the three best strikers in football played for European clubs.
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The Brazilian striker progressed through the ranks at Santos before joining Barcelona in 2013. In 186 games for the Catalans, he scored 105 goals and provided 76 assists, winning two La Liga titles among other accolades.
In 2017, he was signed by PSG for a world record fee of €222 million. The 31-year-old helped the Parisians capture five Ligue 1 titles. In 173 appearances for the club, he has 118 goals and 77 assists. In his last few months at the club, however, Neymar was riddled with frequent injuries.
The Brazil international will now join Al-Hilal, who lost the King's Cup final to Al-Nassr. He will be hoping to assist them in winning the Saudi Pro League for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
The 31-year-old will team up with Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Kalidou Koulibaly, all of whom joined the club this summer.
