Ruben Neves, the captain of Wolverhampton Wanderers, joined Al-Hilal on Friday and became the most prominent athlete to relocate to Saudi Arabia.
The midfielder, who committed to a three-year deal in Paris, will play for the Saudi team.
The English Premier League team stated that he left Wolves after six seasons for a “club record fee”; the exact amount was not disclosed, but it was estimated to be approximately €55 million (S$80 million).
The 26-year-old, who had just transferred from Porto to Wolves, still had one year left on his Molineux deal.
With 66 awards and the most league and Asian Champions championships (18 and 4, respectively), Al-Hilal is the most decorated club in Asia and Saudi Arabia.
The Riyadh-based club, who have lost their league and Champions League titles, prioritizes strengthening the squad. According to Spanish media sources, they are also interested in Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva and Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Neves will compete in the Saudi Pro League alongside European talents Karim Benzema, 35, N’Golo Kante, 32, and Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, for Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, and Al-Nassr, respectively.
