Tag Archives: Al-Ittihad

Nacho Fernandez Set to Sign with Saudi Pro League’s Al Qadsiah

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Nacho Fernandez is heading to the Middle East…

The 34-year-old Spanish professional footballer and Real Madrid captain is set to sign with Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League, per ESPN sources.

Nacho FernandezESPN reported earlier this month that defender Nacho — who is on international duty with Spain at Euro 2024 — was in advanced talks with another Saudi side, Al Ittihad.

However, the centre-back was then offered a deal by Al Qadsiah and, keen to have his future resolved as soon as possible, has decided to accept, a source said.

Nacho has won a joint-club record 26 trophies with Madrid, having joined the club at the age of 11 and come through the academy.

His contract at Madrid is due to expire at the end of this month and he had spent recent weeks considering his future.

Nacho captained Madrid to a Champions League and LaLiga double this season, having come close to leaving the club in the summer of 2023 before opting to stay.

The defender had a strong end to the season and was rewarded with a Spain call-up, starting their Euro 2024 opening win against Croatia last week, before missing their victory over Italy on Thursday with a minor injury.

Nacho is one of just five players — with Madrid’s Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal and Paco Gento — to have won six

He had previously been linked with a switch to Major League Soccer (MLS), but has now chosen to move to Saudi Arabia.

Al Qadsiah won promotion to the Saudi top flight last season and are coached by the former Real Madrid player Michel Gonzalez.

Marcelo Gallardo Accepts 18-Month Deal to Coach Saudi Pro League’s Al Ittihad

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Marcelo Gallardo is headed to the Middle East…

The 47-year-old Argentine football coach and former professional player, the most successful manager in River Plate history, has accepted an 18-month contract to coach Karim Benzema, Fabinho and N’Golo Kanté at Al Ittihad, according to ESPN.

Marcelo Gallardo The Saudi Pro League defending champions reached a deal with the former River Plate manager after they fired Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo last week — just six months after he led them to a title win. 

Al Ittihad currently sit fifth in the Saudi league table with a 7-3-3 record, 11 points behind league-leading Al Hilal.

Gallardo last coached one year ago when he led River Plate to a 4-0 win over Real Betis in a friendly held in Mendoza. His overall career record for 425 matches is 228-111-86.

He won 14 trophies in his eight years at the helm since 2014, including three Copa Libertadores triumphs, before leaving in October of 2022 to take a break from coaching.

As a player, he also won six league titles and one Copa Libertadores title with River Plate.

Al Ittihad will face Auckland City on December 12 in the Club World Cup.

Sergio Ramos In Advanced Talks to Return to Sevilla

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Sergio Ramos is thisclose to returning to the place where it all began…

The 37-year-old Spanish soccer player is in advanced talks over a return to Sevilla.

Sergio RamosRamos has been a free agent since his Paris Saint-Germain contract expired in July.

The former Real Madrid centre-back attracted interest from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad, Galatasaray, FC Porto and MLS, sources said, but has opted for Sevilla as he prefers to stay closer to home.

Sevilla — whose LaLiga game at Atletico Madrid was postponed on Sunday on the advice of local authorities, due to a forecast of heavy rain — are hoping to close the deal in the coming hours.

Club president Pepe Castro appeared to rule out a move for Ramos last month, saying he had “never been an option” and said the defender had been offered to the club “directly and indirectly.”

Sevilla — who won the Europa League in May — have had a poor start to this LaLiga season, losing all three matches so far and are bottom of the table.

Ramos was born in Camas, a town just outside the city of Seville, and played for Sevilla as a teenager before joining Real Madrid in September 2005.

He spent 16 years at Real Madrid, becoming club captain and winning five LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues — providing one of the most iconic moments in the club’s history with his goal in the 2014 Champions League final — before joining PSG on a free transfer in July 2021.

After an injury-hit first season in Paris and a more impressive second campaign, Ramos left PSG this summer and has since been considering his options.

The former Spain captain retired from international football in February — two years after his last appearance — when he was told he was not part of coach Luis de la Fuente‘s plans.

Ramos was a key part of the Spain teams that won three back-to-back international tournaments between 2008 and 2012, including the 2010 World Cup.

Neymar Officially Joins Saudi Club Al-Hilal from PSG in Two-Year Deal

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Neymar’s transfer to the Middle East is complete…

The 31-year-old Brazilian soccer star has officially completed a move from French champions Paris Saint-Germain to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, the clubs confirmed Tuesday.

NeymarAs previously reported, Brazil’s joint all-time top scorer was close to accepting personal terms with Al Hilal after the clubs agreed a transfer fee of €90 million ($98.6m).

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment. I have heard a lot and learned that I am following a long list of Brazilian players who have played in Saudi Arabia over the years, so I believe it is the desired place.

“Al Hilal is a giant club with fantastic fans, and it is the best in Asia. This gives me a feeling that it is the right decision for me at the right time with the right club. I love winning and scoring goals, and I plan to continue doing that in Saudi Arabia and with Al Hilal.”

Neymar will link up with new teammates Kalidou Koulibaly, Rúben Neves and Sergej Milinković-Savić, who all made the move to Al Hilal earlier this summer.

Al Hilal are one of four clubs — along with Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad who were taken under the ownership of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in June as part of the country’s “Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project.”

Neymar has reportedly been offered a two-year contract expected to pay an annual salary of around $100 million. That would be around half of the reported salary Cristiano Ronaldo is being paid by Al Nassr.

“Neymar Jr is a global icon who has brought joy and pleasure to all fans wherever he plays,” Al Hilal chairman Fahad bin Saad bin Nafel said in a statement. “The spotlight is always on him and he always responds to it. We are delighted to have him join Al-Hilal, the most successful club in all of Asia.”

Neymar joined PSG in 2017 when the club — owned by Qatar Sports Investments — paid a still-world-record transfer fee of €222m to pry him away from Barcelona.

He scored 118 goals in 173 appearances for the Paris club and won numerous trophies, including five Ligue 1 titles, but was increasingly a target of fans’ frustrations as the club failed to win the UEFA Champions League.

“It is always difficult to say goodbye to an amazing player like Neymar, one of the best players in the world, said PSG president and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.

“I will never forget the day he arrived at Paris Saint-Germain, and what he has contributed to our Club and our project over the last 6 years. We had a great moment and Neymar will always be a big part of our history. I would like to thank Neymar and his family. We wish Neymar all the very best for the future and his next adventure.”

Fabinho Joins Saudi Pro League’s Al-Ittihad from Liverpool

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Fabinho is headed to the Middle East.

The Brazil midfielder has joined Al-Ittihad from Liverpool on a three-year deal, the Saudi club announced on Monday.

FabinhoFinancial details were not disclosed, but British media reported the Saudi Pro League champions paid £40 million ($51.33 million) for Fabinho.

Al-Ittihad posted a video on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, with the title “Tigers are permitted to pass” in reference to media reports suggesting the deal might be delayed due to the breed of Fabinho’s dogs which are prohibited from entering Saudi Arabia.

The video featured the Brazilian midfielder holding a tiger and saying: “I’m Tiger.”

“Today I leave my home. It’s been five years wearing this jersey and always with the greatest honour and happiness possible. I love this club. Thank you, Reds, for everything we’ve experienced together. You will never walk alone,” Fabinho wrote on X.

Fabinho will join Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante at the Jeddah-based club.

The Brazil international made 219 appearances for Liverpool since his arrival in 2018, and helped the team to the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Super Cup titles.

Fabinho was not always a regular for Liverpool last season after a loss of form. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has overhauled his midfield by signing Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister and Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai, and the club is now searching for a holding midfielder to replace Fabinho.

The Saudi Pro League has become an attractive destination for high-profile players since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr last January in a deal reported to be worth around $220 million per year.

Roberto Firmino Agrees to Three-Year Deal with Saudi Arabian Club Al Ahli 

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Roberto Firmino is headed to the Middle East… 

The 31-year-old Brazilian professional footballer has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli as a free agent after his contract at Liverpool expired at the end of last season, it was announced Tuesday.

Roberto FirminoFirmino, a forward, has agreed a three-year deal with the Saudi team and joins former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy at the Jeddah-based club.

The Brazil forward spent eight years at Anfield, scoring scoring 110 goals in 361 games.

Firmino won seven trophies with Liverpool including the Champions League in 2019 and the club’s first-ever Premier League title in 2020.

Clubs in Saudi Arabia have pursued an aggressive recruitment strategy in recent months, persuading some of the sport’s biggest names to sign lucrative deals with teams in the country — Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January and Karim Benzema left Real Madrid for Al Ittihad earlier this month.

Al Ahli won the Saudi First Division League title last season to achieve promotion back to the Saudi Pro League for the 2023-24 campaign.

Former Soccer Star Borgetti to Become Marathon Man?

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He’s Mexico’s all-time leading scorer in international fútbol… But Jared Borgetti could soon be earning acclaim in another sport.

The 39-year-old Mexican soccer star, who retired from the sport in December 2010, is thinking about competing in marathons.

Jared Borgetti

“It’s tough to run 42 kilometers and 195 meters (26.2 miles), but accessible for a high performance athlete like me,” Borgetti, known as El Zorro del Desierto, told Efe n Torreon, where he served as grand marshal of Sunday’s marathon. “If I decide to do it, I will need good physical preparation and serious mental training.”

Borgetti, who will turn 40 in August, retired from professional soccer with a lifetime tally of 258 goals, including 46 with the Mexican national squad.

“I just ran a 12.5 kilometer (7.7 mile) race to accompany my wife and I wanted to throw in the towel after that. I don’t know how these guys endure so much,” he said of the 4,500 runners in the Torreon marathon.

During his career, the striker played for Mexico’s Atlas, Santos Laguna, Dorados, Pachuca, Cruz Azul, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, Morelia and León, as well as England’s Bolton Wanderers and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad.