The Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino became the latest high-profile player to finalize a transfer to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, when he signed for Al-Ahli after his contract with the Premier League giants Liverpool ended.
Firmino’s previous team was Liverpool.
After playing for Liverpool for eight years and winning the Premier League, Champions League, and Club World Cup during that time, the player, who is now 31 years old, decided to leave the club after which he had scored 111 goals in 362 games.
His signing with Al-Ahli was announced in a video that was shared on social media by the club. This news comes less than a week after the club finalized a deal to acquire Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from Chelsea.
The Saudi Pro League is drawing famous players from the main European leagues with the prospect of massive pay, and it is supported by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund.
Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante have also made the move to the Gulf state after Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Al-Nassr in January sparked the trend. Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard just took over as coach at Al-Ettifaq earlier this week.