Did Neymar take a step down by moving from Paris Saint-Germain to the Saudi Pro League?
The Brazil star doesn’t seem to think so. Speaking at a press conference before a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia, Neymar — who joined Al Hilal last month in a €90 million deal — said that this summer’s Saudi spending spree may have tipped the scales against Ligue 1.
“For the names that went to Saudi Arabia, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Saudi league is better than [Ligue 1],” said Neymar, though his assertion was possibly deflated by his own chuckling.
“I can assure you the football in Saudi Arabia is the same. The ball is round, we have goalposts… There’s no secret. We have intense practice there, the thirst to win is still big. I want to win trophies with Al Hilal. It doesn’t change much.”
Only the Premier League spent more than the (often government-backed) clubs of the Saudi Pro League, with Transfermarkt reporting that the league’s total transfer spending in the summer window stands at €957 million.
“For the names that went to Saudi Arabia, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was better than the French league”
Neymar couldn't resist 🤣
(via @BBCMOTD) pic.twitter.com/adpjq8R9Ql
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 8, 2023
Neymar’s argument doesn’t require much deep thinking. When he trains with Al Hilal, he’s doing so alongside Brazil teammate Malcom, World Cup star Yassine Bounou, Senegal center back Kalidou Koulibaly, Serbia duo Aleksandar Mitrović and Sergej Milinković-Savić, and Portugal defensive midfielder Rúben Neves. These players are all very good at soccer, and could play in any league.
The counter, of course, is that Saudi clubs added 40 players on permanent transfers, spread across 18 teams. A league of that size employs around 500 players, give or take, meaning that the nearly €1 billion in transfer spending only improved about 8% of the player pool. In other words, for every Neymar or Cristiano Ronaldo to make the jump, there are dozens of players who represent the average talent level for the Saudi Pro League.
None of that seems to be bothering Neymar much, as the forward compared the talk he’s heard since making the move to what people said when he moved from Barcelona to PSG.
“Everyone said the same when I went to France, and it was the place I was [kicked] the most in my life,” said the 31-year-old. “I am sure that it won’t be easy to win the Saudi championship. Other teams got stronger, have famous players. It will be very interesting and I am sure you will be watching.”
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