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

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.

Given the rivalry that exists between the club and Al-Nassr, it is perhaps also a natural step that, after Ronaldo signed for the Yellows in December to send genuine shockwaves around the world, Al-Hilal were always going to respond with one of the other names at the very top of the global football tree. 

Neymar is a global superstar; there is no other way of putting it. Of all the players that have come to Saudi Arabia — and there have been genuine stars such as Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves, N’Golo Kante, Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane and a growing list of others — there is only Ronaldo who could be said to have a bigger status in the game, and the Brazilian is seven years younger than the Portuguese star.

Neymar’s move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 is still a world record for a transfer fee that was €222