Neymar<\/a> has signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal after six seasons with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, the clubs announced on Tuesday,\u00a0joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as the latest big name lured to the oil-rich Gulf state. Neymar, 31, scored 118 goals in 173 matches for PSG in six injury-plagued seasons. He won five Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups, but was on the losing side as PSG were beaten by Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League final.<\/p>\n“I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali,” Neymar said in a video posted to Al Hilal’s social media accounts.<\/p>\n
“It is always difficult to say goodbye to an amazing player like Neymar, one of the best players in the world,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in a statement from the French champions.<\/p>\n
“I will never forget the day he arrived at Paris Saint-Germain, and what he has contributed to our club and our project over the last six years. We had a great moment and Neymar will always be a big part of our history,” he added.<\/p>\n
Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of 222 million euros ($242 million), a few weeks before they recruited Kylian Mbappe.<\/p>\n
The Brazilian scored 118 goals in 173 matches for PSG, winning five Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups, but his time at PSG was blighted by a catalogue of injuries.<\/p>\n
Although he helped the club to the 2020 Champions League final, which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich, he was sidelined for key games.<\/p>\n
Neymar underwent surgery on his right ankle in early March, only returning to join PSG on their pre-season tour of Asia.<\/p>\n
However, he no longer figured in new coach Luis Enrique’s plans and was immediately linked with a move to Al-Hilal, where he will earn “100 million euros a season”, according to a source close to the matter.<\/p>\n
PSG will not come close to recouping the fee they paid for Neymar but will still pocket close to 100 million euros as well, according to the same source.<\/p>\n
Al-Hilal have traditionally been one of Saudi Arabia’s top clubs and have been crowned Asian Champions League winners on four occasions.<\/p>\n
They are coached by Portugal’s Jorge Jesus, who is in his second spell at the club, while the squad currently boasts four international players recently lured from Europe — Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Neymar’s Brazilian compatriot Malcom.<\/p>\n
Last month Al-Hilal made a 300-million-euro ($328 million) bid for Mbappe, though the striker reportedly refused to meet with officials from the team.<\/p>\n
Neymar’s departure from PSG follows that of Lionel Messi who now plays for Inter Miami in the United States.<\/p>\n
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n\n
Topics mentioned in this article<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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