Neymar and Cristiano are undisputed champions and masters of the game of football. Their times at Barcelona and Real Madrid revealed their incredible talents. The El Clasico could never have hosted worthy opponents in the 2015/16 La Liga season if these incredible talents didn’t feature in it. Both teams exhibited a historic football rivalry, with Neymar’s Barcelona finishing top and Ronaldo’s Real Madrid trailing.
Neymar has just completed his move to the Saudi Pro League to play for Al Hilal, a rival club to Al Nassr in the league. Cristiano Ronaldo has been excellent since joining Al Nassr, and now it’s time to re-live that healthy rivalry between two masters of the game.
Neymar labeled Cristiano Ronaldo as mutual respect shines
They indeed say talent recognizes talent. Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr have had great careers. Though Neymar is not a Ballon d’Or winner, he has won the Champions League and scored many goals like Cristiano Ronaldo.
The most notable of Cristiano Ronaldo’s achievements is the Ballon d’Or award, which he has won five times. According to Transfermarket, he’s won the Best FIFA Men’s Player 3 times and is a 14-time Footballer of the Year award winner. He’s also won the European Golden Boot 4 times for his incredible goal-soring habit
Cristiano Ronaldo has left his goalscoring footprint in some prominent clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia. In his time at Manchester United, the 38-year-old Portuguese forward scored 145 goals and 64 assists in 346 appearances.
He moved to Real Madrid in 2009, where he tallied an unreal number of 450 goals. Later, at Juventus, he scored 101 goals, and with the Portugal National team, he scored 123 goals in 200 appearances. Hence, there is no surprise there that Neymar has a lot of respect for him.
Neymar hailed the Portugal international when asked about the veteran, labeling him a ‘genius.’
On the other hand, Neymar has also had his share of football greatness. The 31-year-old Brazilian is the epitome of Brazilian talent and has lived his career demonstrating to everyone the beauty of the game of football.
Neymar is a one-time Footballer of the Year award winner. He’s a four-time top goal scorer, scoring ten goals in the 2014/2015 Champions League season, seven goals in the 2014/2015 Copa Del Rey season, eight goals in the 2011/2012 Copa Libertadores season, and 11 goals in the 2009/2010 Copa do Brasil season.
Al-Hilal offers a massive package for Neymar
After his 6-year spell at PSG, Neymar is now set to spend the next two years of his career in the Saudi Pro League. According to CBS Sports, PSG collected €90 million from the Saudi club for the transfer.
Originally, Neymar’s intention was to rejoin Barcelona to relive his youthful football days, but Barca and Xavi especially did not want his return as they thought Neymar would not fit in the team.
The Brazilian is the latest and arguably highest-profile addition to the Saudi Pro League after a summer of ambitious spending that has seen the likes of Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, N’Golo Kante, and Roberto Firmino arrive in the country.
“I am here in Saudi Arabia, i am HILALI 💙”@neymarjr #AlHilal
pic.twitter.com/q7VUhf0FnQ— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) August 15, 2023
According to the Guardian, The 31-year-old joined Paris Saint-Germain in a deal that could reach €100m (£86.3m). And the contract is for a minimum of two years. Fabrizio Romano, the trusted sports journalist, added that Neymar could earn $300 million and up to $400 million based on commercial deals with Al Hilal.
Let us know your thoughts on this historic transition as this might pave new routes deep into the deserts of Saudi footballing dreams, a nation with high hopes of hosting the decorated World Cup soon!
