Brazil superstar Neymar has signed for Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in one of the most high-profile transfers in Saudi Arabian football history.
The forward, his country’s all-time joint-leading goalscorer alongside Pele, was confirmed as Hilal’s latest recruit on Tuesday night having agreed to the move from PSG.
Neymar, who joins on a two-year contract, was presented at a signing ceremony in Paris alongside Hilal club president Fahad bin Nafel. The reported transfer fee is €90 million ($98.5m).
Neymar, 31, is expected to be formally introduced to Hilal fans in Riyadh later this week, at a lavish ceremony at the club’s King Fahd International Stadium.
The Brazil international, already the world’s most expensive player, adds further lustre to the Saudi Pro League following a summer of huge investment. After Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr in December, the kingdom has attracted this window, among others, current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema, Manchester City treble-winner Riyad Mahrez, France World Cup winner N’Golo Kante, and former Liverpool quartet Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho.
Hilal, record 18-time Saudi champions, opened their 2023/24 Saudi Pro League campaign on Monday with a 3-1 win away to Abha. Malcom, Neymar’s compatriot and another summer signing, scored a hat-trick, while Hilal have also added to their ranks: Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. A move for Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is expected to be announced within the next 24 hours.
The acquisition of Neymar compares particularly to Ronaldo, at Nassr, and Benzema, at champions Al Ittihad, with the former Paris Saint-Germain player one of the most recognisable names in football.
Neymar, whose contract with PSG still had two years to run, signed with the French champions for a world-record €222 million in 2017. He has since won Ligue 1 five times, while also finishing runner-up in the 2019/20 Uefa Champions League.
Neymar had been linked heavily with a return to Barcelona, whom he represented from 2013-2017, winning the Champions League and two La Liga titles.
For Brazil, Neymar has 77 goals in 124 appearances, and competed in the past three Fifa World Cups. He is one of only a trio of Brazilians to score in three global finals, together with Pele and Ronaldo. Neymar was runner-up with his national team at the 2021 Copa America.
The Sao Paulo-born attacker sat out PSG’s Ligue 1 season-opening 0-0 draw with Lorient on Saturday having trained alone the previous day. The capital club said it was because he was recovering from a viral infection.
However, Neymar’s time at the Parc des Princes has been dogged recently by injury. He underwent surgery on his ankle in March, returning to meet up with the PSG squad on their recent pre-season tour of Asia.
Neymar could debut for Hilal as soon as this weekend, when last year’s Fifa Club World Cup and Asian Champions League runners-up host Al Fayha in Riyadh on Saturday.
The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
Joy Crookes
beabadoobee
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
