Al-Hilal sign Neymar for £86.3m from PSG: Decoding his stats
Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal have roped in Brazilian superstar Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar has signed a two-year deal with the reigning Saudi Pro League Champions. This brings an end to his six-year stay in Paris. Neymar has completed his £86.3m move and as per Sky Sports, he is set to earn £129.4m a year in Saudi Arabia. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Saudi Arabia looks like the new destination for star footballers as the league has already attracted so many superstars. Now with Neymar joining Al-Hilal, it will only take the ceiling higher. The 31-year-old grew out of favor in Paris and was even excluded from PSG's matchday one squad against Lorient. Neymar wanted a top club in Europe but found no takers.
A look at his career stats
The 31-year-old started his footballing career for Brazilian top-tier team Santos FC's youth academy and also played for their U-20 side. Neymar featured in 225 matches for Santos, netting 136 goals. In 2013, he moved to FC Barcelona and played 186 matches for them scoring 105 times. He joined PSG in 2017 and plied his trade in 173 matches while scoring 118 goals.
A look at his journey with PSG
Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of £198m. He spent six seasons but injuries restricted him to only 173 appearances. He netted 118 goals while providing 69 assists. In Ligue 1, Neymar has scored 82 goals and provided 48 assists from 112 matches. Neymar is the fourth-highest scorer for PSG after Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Breaking down Neymar's 2022-23 Ligue 1 stats
Neymar missed a large chunk of the 2022-23 season as he underwent reconstructive ankle ligament surgery. He only featured in 20 Ligue 1 matches last season, returning with 13 goals and 11 assists. He also created 49 chances. As per Opta, Neymar completed 982 out of the 1,187 attempted passes with 82.73% passing accuracy. 20 out of his 30 attempts were on target.
A look at his journey with FC Barcelona
Neymar made his move to Barcelona in 2013 from Santos for £49m. In his four seasons, he represented the Catalans in 186 matches, scoring 105 goals. He also provided 58 assists. He scored 68 goals in 123 La Liga appearances. In the 2016-17 season, Neymar was the only player to record 20-plus goals (20) and assists (21) in Europe's top five leagues (all competitions).
Neymar tasted a lot of success in his career
Santos: Copa do Brasil (2010), Copa Libertadores (2011), Recopa Sudamericana (2012). Barcelona: La Liga (2014-15, 2015-16), Copa de Rey (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17), Supercopa de Espana (2013), Champions League (2014-15) and Club World Cup (2015). PSG: Ligue 1 (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23), Coup de France (2017-18, 2019-20, 2020-21), Coupe de Liga (2017-18, 2019-20), Trophee des Champions (2018, 2020, 2022).
Brazil's joint-record goal-scorer
Neymar has sensational numbers for Brazil. He is their joint-record goal-scorer with 77 goals in 124 international matches. He is tied at the top of Brazil's goal-scoring charts with the legendary Pele. Neymar is the four-most capped Brazilian. Cafu leads the pack with 142 appearances.
