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Saudi Arabia: Neymar jerseys sell out in Riyadh

Fans have travelled from all over the country to buy the shirts of the new recruit, who signed a two-year contract with the Saudi champions on Tuesday   -  
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FAYEZ NURELDINE/

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi capital club Riyadh has been experiencing a surge of fans in its shop since the announcement of Neymar's transfer to Al Hilal.

Fans have travelled from all over the country to buy the shirts of the new recruit, who signed a two-year contract with the Saudi champions on Tuesday for an annual salary of around €100m.

"I was on Al Hilal's twitter account for over 2 hours until I saw the news. When I saw that (the shirt) was available on their website, I went straight to the shop before it got too crowded and I've been waiting for my turn for 15 minutes now," said one fan.

With this transfer, the 31-year-old striker, who has just spent 6 years with Paris Saint Germain, becomes the latest big name to be lured to the wealthy Gulf state.

The former Seleçao star is following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane by swapping Europe for the Middle East.

The transfer market has been thrown into turmoil this year by the arrival of Saudi Arabia on the world football scene.

A massive budget of $20 billion has been released by Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salmane to elevate the Saudi Pro League to superstar status.

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