Brazilian Star Roberto Firmino Joins Al Ahli in Saudi Pro League

 Brazilian Star Roberto Firmino Joins Al Ahli in Saudi Pro League

Brazilian Star Roberto Firmino Joins Al Ahli(Getty)

Brazilian star Roberto Firmino will play in the Pro League of Saudi Arabia. BBC has reported that he has signed a three-year contract with Al Ahli, a club in the Saudi league. After the end of the previous season, Firmino left Liverpool after his contract ended. Following the departures of Karim Benzema, Angelo Kanté, Eduard Mendy, and Kalidou Koulibaly, Firmino is now set to become a big name in the Saudi league in the upcoming season.

This 31-year-old Brazilian joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim in 2015. He has played 362 matches in the red jersey, scoring 111 goals. At Al Ahli, he will join Senegal's goalkeeper Eduard Mendy, who was signed from Chelsea. Last week, he reached an agreement with Al Ahli.

In January, Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Saudi club Al Nasr, which sparked discussions about the league. Another Saudi club, Al Hilal, made a significant offer to Argentine World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi. In April, news agency AFP also reported that Messi might play in the Saudi Arabian league, but it didn't materialize. Instead, Messi is now set to join the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami in the United States, ignoring the massive offer from Al Hilal.

Even without Messi, Saudi authorities have been trying to attract big-name football stars to their league. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which is controlled by the Saudi government, has acquired ownership of Newcastle United in the English Premier League. They have also made arrangements for their own country's four clubs, which include Al Nasr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli. The goal of the Saudi authorities is to transform their pro league into one of the best leagues in the world.

After the end of last season's contract with Liverpool, Firmino became a free agent. Like Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also ended their contracts with Liverpool this season. Liverpool's management bid farewell to all four of them. However, Firmino still has strong support from Liverpool fans.

Firmino formed a formidable trio with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Although they lost to Real Madrid in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final, Firmino played an extraordinary role in lifting the Champions League trophy for Liverpool in 2019. In the same year, after 30 years, he also played a major role in Liverpool winning the English Premier League title. However, in 2022, Liverpool missed out on the Premier League title by just one point.

Nevertheless, Liverpool won the FIFA Club World Cup at Anfield. In December 2019, Firmino's goal helped Liverpool defeat Brazilian club Flamengo and lift the FIFA Club World Cup trophy.