Brazilian player will receive €320 million over two seasons for Al Hilal; striker is the biggest signing in the country
The player Neymar Jr., announced on Tuesday (15.Aug.2023) by Al Hilal, from Saudi Arabia, will have the 3rd highest salary in world football. The Brazilian’s contract with the Arab team lasts for 2 years. During this period, the striker will receive €320 million – or €160 million per year.
This value puts him behind only the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and the French Karim Benzema, both also in Saudi football. The two biggest stars in the local league will receive €200m per season. Ronaldo, voted the best player in the world 5 times, has been with Al Nassr since January. Benzema, the current Ballon d’Or winner, signed for Al Ittihad in June.
The 3 superstars are the pillars of the Saudi monarchy’s massive investment in the world’s most popular sport. In June, the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought the country’s top 4 teams: Al Ahli, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Nassr.
In addition to Neymar, midfielder Fabinho is also among the highest earners in Saudi football. The player recently signed by Al Ittihad receives € 22 million annually. It is the 10th largest Saudi Pro League contract.
The French N’Golo Kante closes the top 4 salaries of the “Saudi man” and the world. The English midfielder Jordan Henderson is the only one to appear in the 10 biggest earnings that does not play in one of the teams acquired by the Executive fund. The Briton was signed by Al Ettifaq.
Outside the Arab dictatorship, the also French Kylian Mbappé has the highest income: € 72 million per year in Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar’s former team. The Argentine Lionel Messi, 7 times elected the best in the world, completed the trio of stars in PSG’s attack. He left France for €60 million at Inter Miami in the United States.
Neymar is the most expensive signing
Despite having the 3rd highest salary, Neymar was the player who cost the Saudi coffers the most. Al Hilal paid PSG €90m for the Brazilian striker. That was the 21st most expensive signing in football history. The 1st place in this regard also belongs to Neymar – when he left Barcelona for Paris for € 222 million, in 2017.
The Brazilian is, by far, the player who moved the most money in transfers. That’s €400 million (in face value) in 3 team changes. In 2013, upon leaving Santos, Barcelona paid €88 million to the São Paulo team. This is the 23rd highest rate in history.
Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema, Neymar was under contract with another team before arriving in the Middle East. Portuguese and French were free on the market, that is, without a team. Therefore, they arrived without transfer costs to the country of Mohammad bin Salman.
The top 10 headed by Neymar also has 3 other Brazilians: Malcom (Al Hilal), in 2nd place; Fabinho (Al Ittihad), in 4th; and Ibañez (Al Ahli), in 9th.
One difference in the list of salaries and hiring values is the average age. While the top 10 highest earners in the Saudi league are, on average, 32.2 years old, the top 10 highest earners average 27.7 years old.
This is due to the logic of the football market. A player’s market value is judged not only by quality, but also by age. The logic is simple – the older you are, the less time you will continue playing, especially at a high level. A 3rd important factor is the duration of the contract. If an athlete has only 1 year contract with a team, the team tends to sell it for a lower price. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing it for free the following season.
For example, 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo costs around €15 million today. Mbappé, at 24, could cost something around €180 million. The numbers are from the Transfermarkt website, which specializes in the transfer market.
The figures are a bit abstract given how much Saudi Arabia paid for Neymar (€30m above Transfermarkt’s valuation).
The signing of the Brazilian national team star raised Al Hilal to the position of the 2nd team with the highest investment in the current transfer window, which opened on July 1st and will close on August 31st. The team from Riyadh spent € 268 million in the period, behind only Chelsea, from England. Al Ahli (11th), Al Nassr (19th) and Al Ittihad (20th) are the only non-European clubs on the list.
football in saudi arabia
The Arab country is far from being a soccer powerhouse, but sees the sport as a chance to try to clean up its image on the international scene. The nation is an absolute monarchy led by dictator Mohammad bin Salman, crown prince of the kingdom. He is accused of authorizing the 2021 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The sovereign fund, which bought 75% of the country’s top teams, responds directly to the monarchy. Other teams in the national championship are usually sponsored by subsidiary companies of the fund, but with less investment in football.
In 2021, the same fund had already acquired the traditional English club Newcastle. In two seasons, he considerably increased investments in the team, taking it from relegation contender to title contender. Last season, the team was 4th in the Premier League, the most valuable national football tournament in the world.
All of Riyadh’s interest in football has one main objective: hosting the FIFA World Cup. The original idea was a joint bid with Greece and Egypt for 2030. It was postponed. The dictatorship is now the favorite to host the event in 2034. It wants to repeat what another Arab nation, Qatar, achieved in 2022. The hiring of big sports stars is the beginning of this strategy.
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