All that glitters is not gold: The seven footballers who regretted their time in Arabia

In December 2022, the Saudi club Al Nassr has made the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo official. Against all odds, the Portuguese star ended up in the Saudi league where he was the triggered the flight of stars in the Middle East.

The following summer, several Saudi clubs went all out for some of European football’s galacticos in what was a ‘standard offensive’ with the aim of making the Saudi Professional League one of the most influential on the planet.

So there, Karim Benzema He was signed by Al-Ittihad, the same club that courted N’Golo Kantewith a past at Chelsea and World Champion with France in 2018. Kalidou KoulibalyRuben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-SavicMalcolm, BondMitrovic and the Brazilian star Neymar Jr, joined Al Hilal. Al Nassr invested more than 140 million euros in Seko FofanaMarcelo BrozovicAlex Telles, Sadio Mané and Otávio. Ahli deposited another 150 million euros in Edouard MendyRiyadh MahrezAllan Saint-MaximinRoger Ibañez, Franck CassieMerih Demira and Gabriel Veigabecause Roberto Firmino He arrived on a free transfer after his contract at Anfield expired. Added to this long list are more than fifty signings made by clubs in the SPL (Saudi League).

However, there are already some stars that failed in Arabia or They are thinking of returning to Europeor seen how his football level dropped. Here are some of them:

JORDAN HENDERSON

Al-Ettifaq – 15.5 million in Liverpool

Jordan Henderson, the first star to move to football from Saudi Arabia who regretted it and decided to return.

Henderson himself paid more than 4.5 million euros to Al-Ettifaq to make his signing with Ajax happen. He will forgo his dues for the rest of this season although he won’t be forced to give back anything he received as thought.

2

Karim Benzema

Al-Ittihad – free from Real Madrid

Everything started to go wrong when Benzema got into an argument with Nuno Espirito Santo, who was his coach, and from there things never went back, quite the opposite. Although he has 9 goals and 5 assists in 15 games, Al-Ittihad fans seem to have taken to it and according to L’Equipe he has earned the nickname “Ben-Hazima”, which in Arabic translates as ” son of defeat.”

3

Roberto Firmino

Al Ahli – free from Liverpool

Roberto Firmino is not happy in Saudi Arabia. Despite the fact that he earns 22 million euros a year, the Brazilian does not want to continue in a league where he has lost his position. His coach, Matthias Jaissle, no longer relied on him, and he has now made 8 substitutions in a row. .

4

Aymeric Laporte

Al Nassr – free from Manchester City

The Spanish international was more than displeased. He has been playing for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr for a year but he does not deny that the situation is complicated to maintain: “They did not make it easy for us. In fact, there are many players who are not satisfied, but oh well .We do it every day, talk, and see if it gets a little better because it’s new for them too.

5

Juan Miguel Jiménez “Juanmi”

Al Riyadh – Betis loan with a Saudi fee of 3.5 million per season

Real Betis broke Juanmi Jiménez’s loan until the end of the season with Al-Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. In the Saudi League, Juanmi scored just one goal and provided two assists in 17 games with Al-Riyadh.

6

Ever Banega

Al-Shabab – free arrival of Sevilla

Former Valencia midfielder Ever Banega has terminated his contract with Al-Shabab and, after four years in Saudi football, has decided to return to his country, Argentina, and the club he loves, Newell’s Old Boys .
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“I’m coming at a different age, more mature and with more experience. I am going to be nourished by many young people,” he stated.

7

Neymar Jr

Al Hilal – 90 million to PSG

The team decided to release him for the rest of the season due to the knee injury the forward suffered. His place in the team will be taken by his countryman Renan Lodi; However, this does not mean that Neymar’s contract has been terminated, but rather that the Arab team has simply removed him from the squad for the 2023-24 season considering the severity of his injury.
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So, the Saudi club will not be able to enjoy his services until the next campaign.