Fluminense defender Digao has joined Saudi-Arabian club Al Hilal for a fee of $6.5 million, where he will again team up with midielder Thiago Neves.
The 25 year-old centre-back was part of the side that won the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro in the final stages of the season.
Although Neves has played abroad before, notably with Hamburg in Germany and a previous stint with his new club, Digao leaves Brazil in the knowledge that a call-up to the national team is highly unlikely and so the riches of playing for the Saudi club provide a stable financial future.
He also contributed to Fluminense winning the Campeonato Carioca in 2012 as his side enjoyed one of the most successful years in their history.
The team he leaves behind have already seen the departures of several other key members in recent times as well as their manager Dorival Junior, who left the club last month.
