It has been a pivotal summer in the history of Saudi football as a host a big name players and one high profile manager have taken the offer of riches to leave their European clubs to head for the Middle East.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves and former Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard have all written some pretty major Saudi Pro League 2023 news headlines over the past couple of months. But now the biggest name of the lot has landed as Neymar has left Paris Saint-Germain to head Eastwards.
Why has Neymar, the enigmatic Brazil star, the genius of the Selecao signed to play for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League?
I guess that’s a rhetorical question as we all probably know the answer. He made the news six years ago when, as a young and exciting star, he was unveiled at the Parc des Princes to play for a team set to dominate Ligue 1, bankrolled by their Qatari owners. But while the Parisiens have routinely won the domestic title, briefly interrupted by Lille in 2021, they have failed to make a meaningful impact in Europe so there is a rebuild underway in the capital city of France.
Lionel Messi has gone to Inter Miami and Kylian Mbappe has been the subject of the usual frenzied transfer speculation, and it seems more likely that the Frenchman will ultimately land in La Liga, or maybe even the Premier League. But Neymar has seemingly abandoned any thoughts of starring in the best leagues in the world, for now anyway.
Does he think he isn’t good enough?
I doubt it. Neymar has never been short of self confidence and surely he is still one of the best players in the world (on his day). He equalled the great Pele’s 77 goals for Brazil in the Selecao’s 2022 World Cup quarter final defeat to Croatia and the great man was one of Neymar’s biggest supporters.
He came from relatively humble background and Neymar recalls how one day, when he wanted some cookies, his mother said she couldn’t afford to buy them. He vowed one day to be rich enough to buy a cookie factory so he could eat them whenever he wanted.
Well now Neymar can buy a few cookie companies if he wants!
It must be hard to resist the lavish riches available in the Saudi Pro League, though plenty of players can. Let’s not be too snooty about this; I guess it just depends where your priorities lie. Most European top flight players have more than enough money and the big leagues are the best in the world. Meanwhile, at Al-Hilal, Neymar will have a handful of talented colleagues and many more limited ones.
Neymar’s arrival at the club will see the Saudi Pro League 2023 betting odds take a shift towards Al-Hilal for sure and, here at SBOTOP we’ll follow his progress. The club, managed by Jorge Jesus, has been very aggressive in the market, bringing in Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio, Neves from Wolves, Chelsea misfit Kalidou Koulibaly, Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and Moroccan keeper Yassine Bounou.
Neymar is the biggest name of them all and he brings with him a glittering record. To add to his 77 goals for Brazil, he has scored 82 goals for PSG and bagged 68 in his time with Barcelona. He’s not an out and out striker, his dribbling skills and trickery making him a nightmare to defend against and he can cut through a defence at will. He has two La Liga winner’s medals and five Ligue 1 medals, as well as a Champions League medal with the Blaugrana and a Copa America medal with the Selecao.
At 31 years of age he still has some of his best seasons ahead of him, though Neymar will be playing in a totally new and, in some ways, strange environment. He’s goes to a club that few football fans around the world had heard of three months ago though things are moving quickly. But Al-Hilal has a rich history in Saudi, winning the Pro League a record 18 times and three times on the bounce between 2020 and 2022, and they will be keen to wrestle the title back from 2023 champions Al-Ittihad. They have also won a record 13 Crown Prince Cups so these are players who are used to standing on the podium.
These are new and exciting times in the Saudi Pro League and the signing of some of the most recognisable players in the world has taken football by surprise, and not everybody is happy; Premier League bosses Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have expressed their concerns that players may still be tempted away before the summer window closes.
Has Neymar sold his soul? Naa. That’s too strong. But he has given up his career to those who will pay him so handsomely. So he has sold something pretty precious…
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