Neymar’s move to Al Hilal has been met with criticism.
“We have completed the historic signing of Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG),” Al Hilal announced on its official website on Saturday.
Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017. PSG paid an astronomical transfer fee of €222 million for Neymar, who they identified as their ace in the hole.
PSG was not wrong. Neymar quickly adapted to the French game and established himself as PSG’s signature striker. In 173 career games, he scored 118 goals and provided 77 assists.
His prospects for next season were also good. Luis Enrique was expected to utilize Neymar as a key striker for his team. During the preseason, he used Neymar to experiment with tactics.
The transfer speculation came out of nowhere. Neymar made it known that he wanted to leave the club this summer. PSG didn’t want to hold on to Neymar in order to make a change.
The goodbyes were swift. PSG excluded Neymar from first-team training. They didn’t even invite him to their media day ahead of the start of the new season.
Neymar was nowhere to be seen in the opening match. Neymar was left out of the roster for the first leg of the Ligue 1 match against Lorient in the 2023/2024 season, which took place on the 13th, effectively making him a non-player.
This is where Al Hilal came in. Al Hilal agreed to sign Neymar for a base fee of 80 million euros ($116.9 million) plus a bonus of 20 million euros ($29.2 million) for a total of 100 million euros ($146.1 million).
Neymar earned a huge salary. Although it hasn’t been officially disclosed, Neymar will reportedly receive a total of $300 million over the next two years.
The move is not without controversy. “Neymar’s move to Al Hilal feels like an admission of defeat,” said Jonatan Soriano in a report by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo on Saturday. 스포츠토토
Soriano is Neymar’s senior. He wore the Barcelona jersey from 2009 to 2012 and played for Al Hilal in 2019.
“Neymar has the ability to lead a team to a Champions League title,” he said. With Ronaldo and Messi gone, it was his chance to lead Mbappe, Holland, and world football,” he said.
“But Neymar chose to give up glory and make more money,” he said, criticizing Neymar’s choice to go to Saudi Arabia instead of Europe.
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