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After an impressive stint of six years at Paris St Germain, Neymar, the celebrated Brazilian forward, has announced his two-year commitment to Riyadh's Al-Hilal in a deal valued close to $98 million. In the wake of this transfer, Neymar emphasized the influential role of Cristiano Ronaldo in revolutionizing the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo, renowned as a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, had earlier taken a leap into the Saudi Pro League by joining Al-Nassr post his tenure with Manchester United. Reflecting on Ronaldo's move, Neymar commented in a recent interview, I believe Cristiano Ronaldo started all of this and everybody called him 'crazy', and this and that. Today you see the league grow more and more.
This growth is palpable with the Saudi Pro League investing a whopping 600 million euros to entice a myriad of elite European players and coaching talent. Some of the league's stellar recruits include Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, Liverpool's Jordan Henderson, and Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City.
Neymar expressed his excitement, noting, "It is exciting, meeting top-quality players on the other teams thrills you and motivates you to play even better. And it is a given when you face Ronaldo, Benzema, (Roberto) Firmino, that the excitement is even greater."
To bolster their prowess, Al-Hilal has re-secured the expertise of Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus and enriched their lineup with talents like Ruben Neves, Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Brazilian forward Malcom.
Highlighting the significance of a strong team, Neymar added, "I think it is very important to have quality in the squad. Obviously, it helps in some decisions you take throughout your career. It was certainly for me."
With zeal and ambition, Neymar concludes, "I am very excited to write a new story chasing all the objectives with the club and my teammates – winning more and more titles and fulfilling the club's ambition."
In their next showdown in the Saudi Pro League, Al-Hilal is set to host Al-Feiha this Saturday.
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