Despite professional footballers at the top level often amassing a level of wealth we ordinary folk will never be able to comprehend, that doesn’t stop some of them from caving into the lure of the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia are currently pumping incomprehensible amounts of money into their football economy in a bid to simultaneously wrestle some power away from the European game and clean up their global image.
We’re focusing on five players currently in the Saudi Pro League who we believe are still simply too good to be playing in the Middle East and ought to return to the top level while they still can.
Gabri Veiga
Midfielder Veiga had the pick of the bunch when it came to top clubs around Europe in the summer of 2023, with Scudetto winners Napoli, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City all seriously interested in signing the youngster.
A part of us died, then, when the bombshell news dropped that he had instead agreed to join Al Ahly. He made 20 appearances for the club in his first season as they finished third, some 29 points behind league winners Al Hilal.
In the time since, the talented 22-year-old has fallen away from the limelight and watched Spain win EURO 2024 with former under-21 manager Luis de la Fuente in charge.
Had Veiga stayed in Europe, he might well have been in that squad – and that’s why he needs to pack his bags and return ASAP.
Franck Kessie
Another midfield talent going to waste, Kessie can’t be blamed for leaving Milan behind despite being key to their Serie A title win in 2022, because who turns down Barcelona when they come calling?
It might’ve gone pear-shaped in Catalonia, but a move to Saudi Arabia after just one season was never the right move. He’s performed strongly at Al Ahli and still has plenty to offer, and at just 27, ought to be strutting his stuff where the lights shine brightest.
Milan fans probably wouldn’t be all too happy to see him come crawling back, but we guarantee there’s a line of top Serie A sides who’d take him in a heartbeat.
The Ivory Coast international was imperious for the Rossoneri in 2021-22 and ought to have built on that.
Jota
The Portuguese winger fired in 28 goals across two seasons at Celtic and very quickly became both a hero to fans and an attractive transfer target to clubs within Europe with his direct approach, ability to skin his defender and crucially a consistent end product.
If he wasn’t scoring, he was assisting. If he wasn’t assisting, he was getting fans off their feet with his flair and his gorgeous mullet.
It was a massive shame, then when Al Ittihad swooped in and tempted Celtic into a sale for £25million last summer, only for Jota to end up on the fringes of the team.
Capology tells us that Jota is earning around £10million per year at Al Ittihad and he won the league in his first season, but with reports about him not being wanted by the club and their ability to go out and sign superstars, we reckon he should jump back to Europe before he’s pushed.
Neymar
One. Last. Dance.
A polarising pick which some will no doubt slam us for, your humble Planet Football writer is a staunch Neymar enthusiast and sits in the camp that he’s been criminally underrated throughout his career.
An entertainer like no other, the Brazilian was also extremely effective – when not having lumps kicked out of him.
The Paris Saint-Germain experiment might have failed in terms of winning a Champions League/Ballon d’Or, but it’s more nuanced than that. European football needs Neymar one more time.
Neymar’s story didn’t finish properly and he needs to put that right. For the good of us all.
Aymeric Laporte
He might have fallen out of favour at Manchester City, but Laporte would’ve walked into virtually any European giant’s defence when he chose to pack his bags and sign for Al Nassr in the summer of 2023.
And he still would. Despite spending the season away from the limelight at the same club as Cristiano Ronaldo, he was still selected for Spain at Euro 2024 and barely missed a beat, starting every knockout game as they went on to win the tournament.
Laporte is still just 30 years old and is evidently way too talented to be wasting what could be his best years by not challenging for the highest honours.
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