Topics: Ruben Neves, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ruben Neves has opened up on why he decided to ditch the Premier League for the Saudi Professional League.
Last month, Neves became the latest big name to make a big money move to Saudi Arabia after signing for Al Hilal in a deal worth a reported £47 million.
During his six-season stay at the club, Neves scored 30 goals in 253 appearances for Wolves.
Upon joining Al Hilal, the Portuguese has explained why he decided to make the move to the Middle East. You can watch the footage below.
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Neves said: “To give my family the life I always dreamed of for them, this was, for me, the main reason that made me have no doubts about accepting this proposal.
“I have three children and a wife. Taking care of them is my biggest trophy.”
He added: “The project, Al Hilal being the best club in Asia. Since the news started to come, my social media went crazy, it was unbelievable to see the amount of fans Al Hilal have and how passionate they are for football as well so it was a good decision for me and my family I’m sure.”
Back in January, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first big name to make the switch to Saudi Arabia after signing for Al Nassr.
Ronaldo made the big-money move after his second stint with Manchester United ended in dramatic fashion.
Since then, Saudi Arabia have been splashing the cash in a bid to lure some of football’s biggest stars to the Saudi Pro League.
To date, the likes of Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marcelo Brozovic and N’Golo Kante have all signed for Saudi Arabian clubs.
In a recent interview with the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo said: “The league is very good, but I think we have many, many opportunities to keep growing.
“The league is competitive. We have very good teams, very good Arab players. But they need to improve the infrastructure a little bit more. Even the referees, the VAR system... they should be a little bit faster.”
He added: “I think there are other little things they need to improve. But I'm happy here, I want to stay here, I will stay here. In my opinion, if they continue to do the job they want to do here for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be one of the top five leagues in the world.”
