Reuben Neves joins Al-Hilal at the peak of his powers

Ruben Neves has finally landed in Riyadh to finalize his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, and it is a move that seems to have attracted attention for one thing above all else: his age.

The Portuguese international is undoubtedly a massive talent in his own right but, in terms of profile, he is not quite in the same bracket as fellow Pro League players Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema. What he does have, though, is time on his side to reach that level.

Al-Nassr star Ronaldo and Al-Ittihad’s Benzema are highly decorated megastars of the game but, as we all know, they are in the twilight of their careers. Ronaldo is 38; an incredibly fit 38, certainly, but not even a specimen as fine as the Portuguese legend can play forever. Benzema, meanwhile, is 35.

This is only natural. When a league in a country outside of the traditional elite of world football — England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France — start to foster ambitions of attracting the best talent on the planet, the first to arrive are usually players in their 30s.

In the past, older stars were the ones more likely to come to this part of the world, perhaps because after successful careers in which they had won all there is to win, they were more open to new challenges and experiences.

The Saudi league has only just started to attract the attention of the rest of the world. It is going to take time for this global audience and players to become familiar with one another.

Yet there are signs that this might be happening relatively quickly, as the arrival of Neves at Al-Hilal shows. His is a different kind of signing, and not only because it is the first major deal for the club after they were banned from transfers during the past two windows.

It marks the