That’s the other side of the coin. Will Saudi Arabian football have a run of superstars like China did before?
The Middle East press, specifically Saudi Arabia, has gradually become disillusioned with world superstars gathering in the Pro Saudi League.
Most stars want to flee Saudi Arabia after half a football season. As for Ronaldo , he spent a full season with Al Nassr. The last time he passed was the second leg of the season, and up to this point Ronaldo has played the first leg of the Saudi Pro League.
The trio of Benzema, Firmino and Henderson… want to leave Saudi Arabia immediately. Photo: AN
The story of the former 2022 World Golden Ball winner insisting on parting ways with Al Ittihad, the reigning champion Saudi Arabia, is truly disappointing.
In the face of the wave of people wanting to flee Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo shines as a star devoted to the football development of this rich desert country.
Benzema revealed to AFP: “I was under too much pressure, my teammates were very lacking in quality. When I go on the field, I’m always under pressure to score goals at all costs. I want to leave Al Ittihad and leave Saudi Arabia.”
Al Ittihad coach Gallardo has just confirmed that Benzema continuously confided his feelings and wanted to end his contract early.
Similarly, former Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, spoke up to hope to leave Saudi Arabia because he played in such harsh weather conditions with terrible heat that he could not perform at his best. Henderson left Saudi Arabia to join Dutch club Ajax.
Similarly, another former Liverpool star, Roberto Firmino, also expressed the same feelings as Benzema, he came to Al Ahli as a hero and in the first round of this season’s Saudi Pro League had a hat trick. After that, Firmino faded away to the point where he was criticized and whistled at by home fans on the field.
The former Liverpool striker said that every time he plays, fans assume that Firmino must score. He felt suffocated and had no interest in playing football.
Neymar plays for Al Hilal, too. Fortunately, Neymar is seriously injured while playing for Brazil and is recuperating in Brazil. Every day, the salary still “flows” into Neymar’s account. Neymar from the beginning felt all kinds of pressure surrounding him when playing for Al Hilal because a lot was expected of him, but if he failed to score, he was immediately “stoned” mercilessly from Al Hilal’s own fans. . Football is a team game, a few stars cannot “pull” a train.
The situation of Benzema, Neymar, or Firmino is very similar to that of Carlos Tevez before when he came to China to play for Shenzhou Shanghai and had terrible expectations. Tevez faced vicious tackles from the opponent, pressure to score but his teammates were poor. When playing for a short time in China, Tevez’s weekly salary was the highest in the world than during the years he played for MU. Anelka and Drogba went to China and encountered the same problem as Tevez.
Only Ronaldo is currently the star loved by Saudi Arabia, because he doesn’t complain, scores goals regularly and in his free time teaches Al Nassr ‘s youth how to play football and, importantly, puts in effort and never complains. complain.