Neymar chooses to make his fortune, gets rid of PSG and goes to play for Al-Hilal

Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for his role. He had the dream of being the best in the world and captaining the French team in their project – which proved to be a failure – to reach the top of European football. His version was that he left Spain for France because he wanted “something bigger”. Six years later, the Brazilian, lacking the atmosphere in Paris, decided to accept a millionaire proposal from Saudi Arabia and signed with Al-Hilal for two years.

Neymar had his arrival made official this Tuesday and signed an almost billionaire contract. The Saudi club offered a much higher salary compared to the 4 million euros per month (R$ 21 million) that the athlete earned at PSG. According to information from European newspapers, the Brazilian star will earn something around 160 million euros in two years, that is, about R$ 860 million.

PSG will receive, according to the newspaper L’Equipe, from France, R$ 90 million euros (483 million) for the sale of the athlete for which it paid 822 million euros six years ago and which made him, until today, the transfer heaviest in history. He travels this Tuesday to the Arab nation and should be presented on Wednesday.

In Portuguese, Al-Hilal announced Neymar on their social networks as the “wonderful talent… that attracts everyone’s attention”. The Brazilian star appears at the end of the video published by the Saudi club to say, in English, that he is in Saudi Arabia and that he is “Hilali”. He appears wearing the blue shirt of the Arab team.

With Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr and Messi at Inter Miami, in the United States, both close to the end of their careers, there was the expectation that Neymar could excel in European football. O Estadão found out that the player’s desire was to return to Barcelona. However, with the most difficult path to return to the team he was happiest in Europe, between 2013 and 2017, he was convinced by his father, who manages his career, that Saudi Arabia was the best option.

In the last week, the Catalan club looked for alternatives to get the striker signed and even had a positive sign from the athlete to go ahead with the deal, but there was no agreement. The most important thing for the athlete and his representatives was that he get rid of PSG, where he made a lot of money over six years, but failed sportingly.

Neymar, then, was attracted by the money of the Arabs, which flows like oil. If he made his return to Barcelona possible, he would have the opportunity to play again in the club where he shone most in Europe. But his financial earnings would be significantly less compared to the money he is going to earn in Saudi Arabia. In addition, Xavi is disciplinarian and strict as a coach, so it was not the coach’s desire to work with the Brazilian, with whom he played.

According to the Foot Mercato website, the number 10 of the Brazilian national team signed a contract full of perks. The agreement between Neymar and the Saudi team has a clause that promises a payment of 500 thousand euros, about R$ 2.7 million, per publication or story on his Instagram account, which has more than 211 million followers, speaking about Saudi Arabia. In addition, the player will earn 80,000 euros, about R$ 430,000, per victory, will have a complete team available in his mansion for 24 hours, a private plane and will be able to live with his wife, Bruna Biancardi, even though he is not legally married. with her, which is prohibited by law in the country.

Neymar’s injuries, controversies and controversies at PSG

The end of the marriage with PSG, whose relationship had been bad for years, began to materialize, in fact, last Wednesday. Coach Luís Enrique and director of football Luís Campos met with Neymar to warn him that they didn’t count on the Brazilian because PSG’s project had changed, which intended to dominate Europe when it brought in big stars, including Mbappé, who has now decided to stay and appeared smiling this Monday, and Messi, the one who went to brighten the league in the United States.

More than names, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, tycoon president of PSG, wants to change concepts at the club. His purpose, after billions of dollars invested in signings – some of them unsuccessful – is for the club to change its mentality and, finally, succeed in its ambitious sports project whose main objective is to win the Champions League.

The reciprocal was true. Neymar wanted the marriage, marked by controversy for all six years, to end sooner, especially in 2019, when he forced his departure, but his plans were thwarted. He tried more than once to leave the club that paid R$ 1 billion for him. He also received polls from dozens of clubs in Europe. He ended up staying, accumulating controversies off the field, between parties, injuries, crowd protests, alleged betrayal of his wife and even accusations of environmental crimes for the construction of a gigantic artificial lake in his mansion in Mangaratiba, Rio. in the market.

Chelsea were interested, but did not make a proposal. The low average of games in the last six seasons, the recent history of injuries and problems off the field help to explain the absence of proposals from European teams for an athlete as genius as Neymar.

The Brazilian managed to separate from the team that reigned in France only in 2023, not in Europe, as planned by the royal family of Qatar. He didn’t win the Champions League wearing the Paris team shirt. He was runner-up in 2020. His only cup of the most important tournament in Europe he got when he played for Barcelona.

Arab fortune

With the choice of following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, but at the age of 31, therefore seven years younger than the Portuguese star, Neymar signals that he no longer cares about being the best in the world, even though the Arab league has strengthened considerably with the arrival of dozens of players from Europe.

The Portuguese headed to the Arab nation after being named the best player in the world five times and lifting the same number of Champions League trophies. Karim Benzema, 35 years old, another in the Arab league, is the current winner of the Ballon d’Or, awarded by France Football magazine, and boasts four European titles, all with Real Madrid. Messi, one more to choose to play in a peripheral league, Major League Soccer, from the United States, only did so at the age of 35 and after winning his biggest dream: the World Cup with the Argentine national team.

With indisputable achievements, such as being second only to Pelé in the national team’s top scorer, winning the unprecedented Olympic gold, lifting the Libertadores and Champions League cups, forming a legendary trio with Messi and Suárez, Neymar made the choice to play in the new eldorado of the world football, but still, a peripheral league, with less pressure.

The transfer, made under the supervision of the athlete’s father, who is responsible for the striker’s career until today, highlights the weight of his choices and reinforces the impression that the Brazilian is moving away from the chance of, even with everything he has played and won , go much further, given the amazing talent of the athlete who, in March 2009, began to charm the world wearing Santos’ shirt.

At the age of 31, Neymar will be, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, the most important symbols of sportswashing in the Arab country, which has billions in its project to make strategic and political use of sport to improve its reputation in the world. The transfer of one of the greatest and most famous athletes of recent decades represents another step in the Saudi government’s program to clean up his image.

Neymar will be commanded by the Portuguese Jorge Jesus, former coach of Flamengo, and will have as companions some players who made the same path, migrating from Europe to Arab football, cases of the Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly, the Portuguese midfielder Rúben Neves, the midfielder Serbian striker Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Brazilian striker Malcom. Striker Michael, another Brazilian, has been part of the group for a longer time.

Of the quartet of clubs chosen by the Saudi government for large investments, only Al-Ahli still awaits the official arrival of a star player. Al-Nassr has Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Ittihad has invested in Karim Benzema, and Al-Hilal has brought in Neymar. Investments in these four clubs are estimated at R$ 4 billion. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) controls 75% of each of these four teams, while 25% belong to the foundations that present themselves to compose the investments.

“Always in History”

PSG dedicated six paragraphs of a text on its website to say goodbye to Neymar. In the publication, the French club exalts the Brazilian, lists the ten titles won by the Brazilian in Paris, highlights the 118 goals scored by the striker in 173 matches – he is the fourth highest scorer in the team’s history – and says that he “thrilled a crowd ” in the Parc des Princes.

“It is always difficult to say goodbye to an incredible player like Neymar, one of the best players in the world,” said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president and CEO of Paris Saint-Germain. “I will never forget the day he arrived at PSG, and what he has contributed to our club and our project over the last 6 years”, added the tycoon, according to which Neymar “will always be a big part” of the French team’s history. .