Neymar recently took part in the frenzy that now surrounds Saudi football by joining the ranks of Al-Hilal, for a transfer of 90 million euros over a period of two years, also becoming the player who earned the most money in cumulative transfers (400 million euros).
Except that according to the study carried out by Football Benchmark, an entity focused on the analysis of the football industry (financial performance of clubs, market values and performance of social networks), this transfer could, or even should, have cost much less at the Saudi club, 38 million euros less more exactly.
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The study is based on a comparison of the estimated value on the player’s transfer market, and the compensation paid by the different clubs. In this study, Neymar emerges as the 3rd player with the largest gap in terms of transfer value compared to his market price. In front of him, we find Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, respectively transferred to Arsenal and Chelsea, with an overestimation of 39.3 million and 39.6 million for each.
L’étude Benchmark Football sur les écarts enregistrés ce Mercato pic.twitter.com/AVhbxhRinE
— Shmaykl (@shmaykl4) September 6, 2023
Another piece of information that stands out is that Saudi club Al-Ahli SC appear on the list three times, having collectively overpaid Neymar Jr., Rúben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrović by €80.8 million compared to their market values.
How to explain it?
This gap obviously does not come from nowhere, and players do not necessarily start at market value all the time, sometimes less, sometimes more. For Neymar, we can explain this “overestimation” by the fact that recruiting a player of this ilk, who monopolizes the ranking of the best players of this decade, but above all the most influential, with his 214 million followers on Instagram, or even his 62 million on Twitter, brings to the club, or in this specific case, to the country which recruits it, much more than a footballing contribution.
In the case of Saudi Arabia, which has given itself the new ambition to shine internationally with its championship, or, in general, with sport, drawing inspiration from the successful example of its Qatari neighbor with the last World Cup organized in these lands, putting the means to recruit THE player who will allow you to achieve this ambitious vision is part of the game. Recruiting Neymar means ensuring visibility, and that’s what the Saudis are looking for, it’s normal that they pull out all the stops.
Another explanation for this discrepancy between the market value and the cost of Neymar’s transfer to Al-Hilal could be the demand for him during this transfer window. Having been courted from all sides during this Mercato, it does not escape the rule of the market where the more the demand, the more the price increases.
Also, Neymar, during these two years, just with the number of jerseys sold, the revenue linked to his image and other benefits linked to marketing, could bring back to his new club much more than what he spent on afford the Brazilian superstar.
The Saudis, in any case, apparently have no fear or fear of their wallets.
