Brazilian celebrity Neymar was greeted by hundreds of adoring followers at Al-Hilal on Saturday as he grew to become the newest world-famous footballer to affix the big-spending Saudi Professional League. Flame-throwers and a volley of fireworks lit up the Riyadh sky because the flamboyant ahead appeared in Al-Hilal’s blue package at Riyadh’s 68,000-capacity King Fahd Worldwide Stadium. The 31-year-old, who grew to become the world’s most costly footballer in when he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, waved and smiled to the gang as a drone show spelled “Neymar is blue” above the venue.
Watch it right here:
NEYMAR JR IS BLUE!
His full presentation, what an unimaginable ambiance from the Al Hilal followers. pic.twitter.com/3671V6jIq2
— Brasil Soccer 🇧🇷 (@BrasilEdition) August 19, 2023
After his unveiling, together with fellow new signings Malcolm and Yassine Bounou, the stadium lights got here on and the Muslim name to prayer rang out over the loudspeakers.
Pleasure has been excessive for Neymar, who joins a string of giant names approaching the twilight of their careers to be lured by oil-rich Saudi’s large contracts.
Neymar joined Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona six years in the past for a world-record price of 222 million euros ($242 million), scoring 118 targets in 173 matches regardless of a sequence of accidents.
He’ll earn 100 million euros a season in Saudi Arabia, in response to a supply near the negotiations, whereas PSG will pocket 100 million euros within the deal.
Neymar will sit out Al Hilal’s recreation in opposition to Al-Fayha in a while Saturday, and is predicted to make his debut at Al-Raed on Thursday.
Jaw-dropping transfers
Cristiano Ronaldo set the Saudi Professional League’s plans in movement when he joined Al-Nassr in January in a two-and-a-half-year deal mentioned to be value 400 million euros.
It opened the floodgates for a jaw-dropping summer time switch window when the beforehand unheralded Saudi league snapped up a number of the largest names within the sport.
Actual Madrid celebrity Karim Benzema was a gala signing for Al-Ittihad in June, adopted by Riyadh Mahrez, Sadio Mane, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson.
Al-Hilal are the second largest spending membership worldwide within the present switch window, trailing solely Chelsea, and 4 Saudi groups — Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad — have splashed out almost greater than 560 million euros between them, in response to web site Transfermarkt.com.
The 4 golf equipment are owned by the Public Funding Fund, a sovereign wealth car, which has been snapping up belongings as a part of an aggressive drive to diversify the economic system of the world’s largest oil exporter.
Two international superstars resisted the Saudi advances: Lionel Messi, who opted for Inter Miami, and his former PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe, who reportedly refused to satisfy Al-Hilal officers.
Off the sphere, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard joined Al-Ettifaq as coach, ex-Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo grew to become the Saudi league’s director of soccer and Roma boss Jose Mourinho joined the board of Saudi’s Mahd Sports activities Academy.
The shopping for spree has understandably caught the eye of different leagues, with Liverpool supervisor Jurgen Klopp expressing concern that the Saudi switch window closes on September 20 — three weeks after Europe.
Al-Hilal are coached by Portugal’s Jorge Jesus, who’s in his second spell on the membership, whereas the squad has 5 internationals not too long ago lured from Europe — Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Malcom and Bounou.
Al-Hilal, nicknamed “The Boss”, are Saudi Arabia’s most profitable staff and have received the Asian Champions League a file 4 instances.
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