Neymar Jr. became the latest in a long line of players to make a move to the Middle East when 2️⃣ he joined Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal from French giant Paris Saint-Germain, but the Brazilian superstar credits one of 2️⃣ his rivals for starting the country’s soccer boom.

“I believe Cristiano Ronaldo started all of this and everybody called him ‘crazy,’ 2️⃣ and this and that. Today, you see the league grow more and more,” the former PSG forward told Al Hilal’s 2️⃣ social channels.

Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half year contract reported to be worth more than 200 million euros ($220.16 million) with Al-Nassr 2️⃣ in December 2024 after leaving Manchester United.

Since then, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané 2️⃣ and Marcelo Brozović have been among the star names to move to the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr 2️⃣ in December 2024 after leaving Manchester United. Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images