Brazilian superstar Neymar da Silva Santos, popularly called Neymar Jr., has completed a £77.6 million move away from Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain (PSG) to the Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal.
Neymar, who joined PSG in 2017 for a world-record sum of £200 million, was left out of their squad for Saturday’s Ligue 1 match with Lorient.
The 31-year-old was not included in coach Luis Enrique’s plans for the upcoming season.
His exit also fits PSG’s strategy of moving away from the ‘Galacticos’ era of signing high-profile players for big fees and significant wages, with Lionel Messi also leaving the club earlier this summer.
Speaking about his move to Al-Hilal, Neymar in a video posted on the club’s social media account, said “I am here in Saudi Arabia; I am Hilali”.
The forward was thought to earn over 25 million euros (£21.6 million) per year in France.
He will be paid 150 million euros (£129.2 million) every year in Saudi Arabia, which is six times his salary at PSG.
The Brazilian appeared in 173 games with PSG, helping the team win 13 trophies, including five Ligue 1 crowns, and reach the 2020 Champions League final.
“It is always difficult to say goodbye to an amazing player like Neymar, one of the best players in the world, said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG’s president and chief executive.
“I will never forget the day he arrived at Paris St-Germain and what he has contributed to our club and our project over the last six years.”
Neymar’s stay in Paris has also been affected by a series of ankle problems.
He had surgery in March, which cost him the remainder of the season, and he finally returned to training in July.
After being injured in Brazil’s first group encounter, the forward missed two matches at the 2022 World Cup.
He also missed the 2019 Copa America due to ruptured ligaments in his right ankle, and he was out for several weeks in 2021 due to a similar issue.
His departure comes two days after PSG’s Kylian Mbappe was reintegrated back into first-team training after positive talks with the club.
