Al-Hilal announce Neymar signing

Saudi Pro League heavyweights Al-Hilal have announced the arrival of Brazilian superstar Neymar in a video posted on Twitter.

The 31-year-old landed in Riyadh yesterday for a medical ahead of his blockbuster €90 million transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.

Less than 24 hours since he touched down in the Middle East, Al-Hilal released a video to confirm the Brazil captain as their latest summer signing.

Neymar has signed on the dotted line, committing his future to the King Fahd Stadium for the next two years in a deal worth an eye-watering €160m.

He has become the third-highest earner in Saudi Arabia after Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema.

Al-Hilal’s unrelenting bid to land a box-office signing has finally paid off, having seen their earth-shattering offers rejected by Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi beforehand.

While the former has decided to stay at the Parc des Princes for another season against all expectations, the latter is already running the show in North America with Inter Miami.

Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona in a world-record €222m transfer in 2017 but failed to inspire Les Parisiens to an elusive Champions League title.

Often sidelined with injuries and even more often criticised for his unprofessional behaviour, the former Barcelona ace is unlikely to carry many fond memories from his time in Paris.

Despite all the struggle, his numbers in France speak for themselves.

He bagged 118 goals and 77 assists in 173 appearances for the record-time Ligue 1 champions en route to 13 major domestic titles, including five league crowns in his six years there.

Neymar will join forces with Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Malcom at Al-Hilal as Jorge Jesus’ star-studded team eye a record-extending 19th Saudi Pro League title.

Before accepting a lucrative contract in Riyadh, he was linked with a return to Barcelona, but the Catalans’ financial problems rendered a reunion impossible.