Official | Neymar leaves PSG for Al-Hilal

Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have announced the signing of Brazilian international Neymar this afternoon, with the 31-year-old’s move bringing an end to a six-year stay at Paris Saint-Germain.

The former Barcelona man had just returned from a long-term injury absence – brought on by his reconstructive ankle ligament surgery – when reports filtered through last week that the Ligue 1 champions had told him to find a new club.

Neymar then reached an agreement over a two-year contract with Al-Hilal, with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund-owned club having previously attempted to sign Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. He will earn €160m a year at the Riyadh-based team, where he will notably play alongside Kalidou Koulibaly, Rubén Neves, and former Bordeaux winger Malcom.

PSG will reportedly recoup a significant amount of the world-record transfer fee they paid the Blaugrana back in 2017, with L’Équipe indicating that Al-Hilal have paid out €80m to bring him in.

Neymar’s six seasons at PSG have brought limited success. He will have enjoyed spells of impressive form – his very first half-season, the 2020 Champions League final eight, the first six months of this past campaign – but was ultimately unable to bring continental success to Paris, and spent long spells on the sidelines due to recurring injuries.