Neymar left Barcelona for Paris St-Germain in a record-breaking £200m deal six years ago.

With 31 years old, the forward is on the move again, leaving behind European football – for now at least – to join a number of other high-profile players in Saudi Arabia.

After signing a two-year contract, he will earn 150 million euros (£129 million) a year at Al-Hilal – six times what he earned at PSG.

A total of 173 appearances were made by Neymar for PSG, which resulted in 13 trophies, including five titles in Ligue 1.

However, Neymar was signed to help the French giants win Europe’s elite tournament, the Champions League, something he was not able to help them achieve, coming close with them when they reached the final in 2020.

“He is abandoning the battlefield by leaving top-level European football,” Tim Vickery, a South American football expert, told World Service.

“Neymar himself will not see this as anything other than an aurevoir – not necessarily to Paris St-Germain, but to come back to Europe in two years, because right now it’s hard to see any other option.”

Having signed his first professional contract at the age of 17, Neymar began his career in his native Brazil with Santos.

On 7 March 2009, he made his senior debut as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 win against Oeste.

Against Mogi Mirim a week later, he scored his first goal for Santos, and finished the season with 14 goals.

Having made his professional debut a year ago, Neymar was called up to Brazil’s national team.

On 10 August, he played in a friendly against the USA. His debut goal came only 28 minutes after he headed Andre Santos’ cross beyond Tim Howard.

While Neymar has scored 77 goals in 124 appearances for Brazil, his first remains one of his most memorable.

In only his second season, Neymar helped the Spanish giants win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

In addition to helping Brazil win the Confederations Cup shortly after joining Barcelona, he was also named the tournament’s best player.

Many saw Neymar as the player who would lead Brazil to glory at the 2014 World Cup, when Brazil hosted the event.

Messi, Neymar, and Suarez continue to be one of the most deadly strike trios in club football and have combined to score 131 goals in 2015-16.