Neymar has explained that Cristiano Ronaldo led the way for a multitude of stars to join
the Saudi Arabian league ♣ this year after completing his transfer to Al-Hilal
Neymar
believes Cristiano Ronaldo has been proven right by his January move to ♣ Saudi Arabia as
he suggested that the nation’s league is more competitive than Ligue 1.
The Brazilian
superstar is now earning ♣ a huge £2.5million a week contract with Al-Hilal – who
previously tried and failed to sign Kylian Mbappe – after ♣ joining the Riyadh club from
Paris Saint-Germain. He joins former Premier League men Kalidou Koulibaly and Ruben
Neves at his ♣ new club.
PSG had been looking to offload Neymar since the spring, as
reported by Mirror Football at the time. His ♣ exit comes not long after the Parisian
side lost another member of their star-studded attack, with Lionel Messi moving to
♣ Inter Miami.
The motivation for Neymar to move to the Middle East nation was obvious;
not only were PSG keen to ♣ offload the player and bagged a £77m transfer fee into the
bargain, the player is now earning an annual salary ♣ of £129m which solidifies his
status as one of the best-paid players in world football.
He has now also claimed that
♣ the Saudi league’s supposed ‘competitiveness’ was a key factor behind his decision to
seal the deal. He explained how Ronaldo ♣ had been proven right by moving to the nation,
while not explicitly suggesting that Ligue 1, which he leaves behind ♣ in France, did not
have the same level of competition.
“I am there to help the league grow more and more.
♣ They are already changing a lot, they have made a lot of signings,” Neymar told
Al-Hilal’s club channel. “The league ♣ will be very competitive, especially after the
signings made in this summer transfer window.
“I believe competitiveness is important,
that’s why ♣ I am joining this league. It is a very different switch but a new challenge.
I believe Cristiano Ronaldo started ♣ all of this and everybody called him 'crazy', and
this and that, today you see the league more and more.
Have ♣ Your Say! Should Neymar
have stayed in European football ? Tell us what you think here.
Image: AlHilal/Anadolu
Agency via Getty ♣ Images) AlHilal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“It is exciting
meeting top-quality players on the other teams. It thrills you, motivates you ♣ to play
even better. It is a given when you face Ronaldo, Benzema, Firmino, the excitement is
even greater. I ♣ am very happy to join this league, facing them will be
wonderful.”
Neymar, 31, suffered another campaign blighted by injuries last ♣ time out.
He had been one of PSG’ss top earners who carried a high status, while he remains the
most ♣ expensive player in the world following his £198million switch to Paris from
Barcelona in 2024.
The Brazilian has netted 118 goals ♣ in 173 appearances for the French
club but there had been a lingering sense that he has failed to hit ♣ the huge
expectations that many predicted due to his world-record price tag and failure to land
a European title in ♣ Paris.
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