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Saudi Arabia\u2019s football league could already be stronger than France\u2019s Ligue 1, says Brazil captain Neymar.<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old forward moved to the Saudi Pro League from Paris St-Germain in August for about \u00a377.5m and add-ons.<\/p>\n
Neymar joined Al-Hilal in a transfer window that saw Saudi clubs spend more than \u00a3700m on overseas players.<\/p>\n
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\u201cFor the names that went to Saudi Arabia, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if the Saudi league is better than the French,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Saudi clubs\u2019 spending this summer on international transfers was second only to the Premier League, whose teams spent just under \u00a31.6bn on overseas deals, according to figures from football governing body Fifa.<\/p>\n
While Al-Ittihad were\u00a0unable to prise Mohamed Salah away from Liverpool, Salah\u2019s former team-mates Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho were among the Premier League players to move to Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n Saudi clubs also lured Neymar\u2019s PSG club-mate Georginio Wijnaldum, Real Madrid\u2019s Ballon d\u2019Or winner Karim Benzema and Bayern Munich\u2019s Sadio Mane.<\/p>\n Others to make the switch to the Saudi Pro League have included Inter Milan\u2019s Champions League final captain Marcelo Brozovic, Barcelona\u2019s Franck Kessie, Celtic\u2019s Jota and Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.<\/p>\n There could have been a new world-record transfer too. PSG gave Al-Hilal permission to talk to Kylian Mbappe after making a \u00a3259m bid, but the forward opted to stay with the French champions and Neymar was sold instead.<\/p>\n Neymar helped PSG win five Ligue 1 titles although his time in Paris was hampered by ankle injuries after moving from Barcelona for a record fee of \u00a3200m in 2017.<\/p>\n Speaking at a news conference while on Brazilian international duty, Neymar said: \u201cI can assure you the football in Saudi Arabia is the same. The ball is round, we have goalposts.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no secret. We have intense practice there, the thirst to win is still big.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to win trophies with Al-Hilal. It doesn\u2019t change much.\u201d<\/p>\n Several Premier League managers have criticised the Saudi deadline closing almost a week after Europe\u2019s major leagues.<\/p>\n Last week, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said the Saudi Pro League feels more like a threat than not. Klopp feels there is a need to \u201cprotect the game and make sure European leagues stay as strong as they are\u201d.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Henderson, who has been a vocal ally of the LGBTQ+ community, said he was\u00a0\u201creally hurt\u201d by criticism of his transfer.<\/p>\n His move has been questioned by some LGBTQ+ campaigners, as same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\n
\n \nNotable Premier League departures to Saudi Arabia<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Al-Ahli:<\/strong>\u00a0Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Al-Ettifaq:<\/strong>\u00a0Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Demarai Gray (Everton)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Al-Hilal:<\/strong>\u00a0Ruben Neves (Wolves), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Al-Ittihad:<\/strong>\u00a0N\u2019Golo Kante (Chelsea), Fabinho (Liverpool)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Al-Nassr:<\/strong>\u00a0Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Alex Telles (Manchester United)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n