Neymar is headed for Saudi pro league Al Hilal

Brazil forward Neymar has also been headed for Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. The club announced Neymar has signed for Al-Hilal from French champions Paris St. Germain.

Since his pro debut at the age of 17 in 2009, the Brazilian football star played for FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Al Hilal, the wealthiest and most successful club in Saudi Arabia, had tried to sign Lionel Messi, a former teammate of Neymar at PSG.

"I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places," Neymar said. "I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment.”

Al Hilal didn’t release the transfer fee of Neymar, but the transfer fee was reported to be about 90 million euros (approximately 98 million U.S. dollars). Neymar’s transfer fee in 2009 between FC Barcelona and PSG was 222 million euros (242 million dollars), which was a record high. According to BBC, the gross annual salary of 150 million euros will be paid to Neymar, which is six times higher than the pay from PSG.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com