Brazilian star Neymar, who joined Al-Hilal on Tuesday, believes that some described the veteran Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo as "crazy," but he opened the way for stars to come to the Saudi football league. After six varied years with Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar concluded his Parisian adventure with a high-profile move to Al-Hilal, joining a group of other stars in the Saudi league, such as Ronaldo, Senegalese Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr), Frenchmen Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté (Al-Ittihad), and Algerian Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli).
Neymar also joined other stars in his new team, including Portuguese Ruben Neves, Serbian Sergej Milinković-Savić, Senegalese Kalidou Koulibaly, and his compatriot Malcom. In a video posted by Al-Hilal, Neymar stated: "My goal is to make Al-Hilal's fans happy and to always reach the top, and I will do my best with the team." He added, "The entire Brazilian public will watch the Saudi Professional League and support Al-Hilal. I spoke with Malcom and other compatriots Alex Telles and Michael Delgado before agreeing to Al-Hilal's offer."
After being pushed to leave Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar accepted the golden offer from the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, where he will reportedly earn a massive salary estimated by a source in Saudi Arabia at "100 million euros (109 million dollars) per year, the same for Paris Saint-Germain," noting that the player was negotiating a two-year contract instead of three. The Brazilian star emphasized that he wants to "make history with Al-Hilal and achieve titles. The blue color suits me," adding, "I did not discuss life in Saudi Arabia with anyone and decided to come here."
The former Barcelona star believes that "the excitement will be great when playing against Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian Roberto Firmino, and Karim Benzema. Some described Ronaldo as crazy after joining the Saudi league early this year, but he opened the door for stars, and things have developed greatly."
