Cairo: Hours after the Saudi club Al Hilal announced signing the Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr, fans flocked to the club’s store in the capital Riyadh to snap up the footballer’s new shirt.
A video circulating on social media showed a crowd of fans at the store, which sells the shirt that carries No 10.
In the footage, supporters of Al Hilal, nicknamed Asia’s leader, are seen queueing up holding the club’s blue-and-white jerseys. Shirts emblazoned with Neymar Jr’s name and No 10 are displayed in the place.
Al Hilal Tuesday said it signed the Paris Saint-Germain star for two sports seasons and the signing took place in the French capital. The club did not disclose the value of the deal, the latest in a series of high-profile transfers by world-famous footballers to the Saudi professional league.
Al Hilal posted a video of Neymar Jr, declaring: “I am here in Saudi Arabia. I’m Hilali.” The video went viral, generating over 120 million views around the world in six hours, according to the Saudi news portal Sabq.
The 31-year-old player said in a post on Al Hilal’s X account that he wants to write a new history. “The Saudi professional league has tremendous energy and quality players and is in great growth at the moment, so I believe it is the desired place,” he said after signing the contract.
Al Hilal’s board chairman Fahad bin Nafel praised Neymar Jr as one of the most famous football figures. “He is a global icon who has brought joy and pleasure to the fans,” he said in a statement. “We are delighted to have him join Al Hilal.”
