Neymar was greeted with a lot fanfare on Friday as he arrived in Saudi Arabia the place he joins a rising record of massive names lured to the oil-rich kingdom.
The 31-year-old Brazil ahead, who can be unveiled as an Al-Hilal participant on Saturday after six seasons with French champions Paris Saint-Germain landed in a Riyadh airport geared up with additional safety for the event.
Neymar was obtained in an airport lounge full of membership officers and the press, a big diamond-studded cross hanging round his neck as he posed for footage.
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A rock star welcome will await him on the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh the place he can be unveiled earlier than hundreds of followers on Saturday.
“We will hold a big party worthy of the samba dancer,” mentioned an Al-Hilal official who requested anonymity as a result of he’s not authorised to talk to the press.
Neymar’s two-year contract with Al-Hilal will see him earn a wage of round 100 million euros per season, in keeping with sources near the deal.
He follows Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane in swapping Europe for the Saudi Pro League, which has successful record of high-profile targets.
Neymar scored 118 objectives in 173 matches for PSG, successful 5 Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups, however his time at PSG was blighted by a listing of accidents.
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Although he helped the membership to the 2020 Champions League closing, which they misplaced 1-0 to Bayern Munich, he was sidelined for key video games.
He underwent surgical procedure on his proper ankle in early March, solely returning to hitch PSG on their pre-season tour of Asia.
With billions of {dollars} in oil wealth, Saudi Arabia has been on a shopping for spree of sports activities belongings as a part of plans to diversify its economic system and appeal to tourism and funding.
The conservative monarchy, usually criticised for its human rights document, purchased English membership Newcastle United in 2021, the identical yr it hosted its first Formula One Grand Prix.
Saudi Arabia, whose neighbour Qatar hosted the World Cup final yr, is tipped to bid for the match after exploring a tri-continental version with Egypt and Greece.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com