Impact of Neymar’s move to Al-Hilal will rival that of Ronaldo to Al-Nassr

14.08.2023 - 15:53 arabnews.com

Even considering the remarkable recent influx of players to the Saudi Pro League, it was difficult to imagine one individual deal emulating Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr at the end of last year.

But Neymar Jr. joining Al-Hilal is just a mouth-watering prospect and perhaps the most exciting of the deals that have been made in what has been an unforgettable summer.

Al-Hilal are the most successful team in the history of Saudi Arabian football. The Blues have also been Asian champions more than any other and have a strong case of being the biggest club on the continent.

And now they have Neymar and they are the subject of conversation for football fans around the world. It would be wrong, after all that has happened in recent weeks and months and all the big names that have arrived in the country, to say that this is a massive surprise and an unbelievable move, but it is still a huge deal.

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The facts say that Al-Hilal won 4-3 at Al-Ittihad on Friday but there was a great deal more to this seven-goal thriller. With two thirds of the Classico gone, Al-Ittihad were cruising, 3-1 to the good and heading for a fifth win out of five this season but then, incredibly, the defending champions who not conceded a single goal in the first 360 minutes of Roshn Saudi League football, conceded three in the space of ten second half minutes as Aleksandar Mitrovic grabbed a hat-trick, the headlines and three points for the Riyadh giants. It was a stunning comeback and result.

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