- A Saudi prince lent soccer star Neymar his private Boeing 747 jet to fly from Paris to Riyadh.
- The Brazilian player flew to the Saudi Arabian capital to join his new soccer club Al-Hilal.
A Saudi prince lent soccer player Neymar his private Boeing 747 jet to fly him to Saudi Arabia.
The Brazilian star flew from Paris to Riyadh on Friday following an announcement confirming a deal for his transfer from French team Paris Saint-Germain to Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal.
A video shared on X shows the forward posing outside the private jet while donning a cream tracksuit and sunglasses.
"Let's go to Riyadh," he says in the video.
Neymar flying from Paris to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a private Boeing 747 pic.twitter.com/c16wOD0TcF
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 19, 2023
On his arrival, the former PSG and Barcelona player wore an Al-Hilal scarf around his shoulders and received a bouquet of flowers.
The club also welcomed him at King Fahd International Stadium, putting on a dazzling display of music, lights, and fireworks.
A drone display even spelled out "Neymar is blue" over the stadium.
Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, who owns the $500 million Boeing 747 jet used to bring Neymar to the Saudi capital, shared a video on X of him speaking with Neymar on a phone call following his arrival.
اهـلاً وسـهلاً #نيمــار - Welcome #NeymarJr#نيمار_هلالي@Alhilal_FC@Fahad_Alotaibi_@neymarjr https://t.co/vRcY7P1obA pic.twitter.com/EgkjMkLaZQ
— الوليد بن طلال (@Alwaleed_Talal) August 15, 2023
The transfer deal is reportedly worth around 90 million euros ($98 million), and will give the player about $164 million a year in Saudi Arabia, Sky Sports News reported.
Neymar is the latest in a wave of European-based players to move to Saudi Arabia. They include Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Riyad Mahrez.
Neymar has an estimated net worth of around $85 million, according to Forbes.
The 31-year-old made his professional debut at Brazilian soccer club Santos aged 17 before joining PSG in 2017, where he made 25 million euros ($27 million) a year, the Financial Times reported.