Atlético player Axel Witsel was very blunt about the departure waves in Saudi Arabia.
New Eldorado of world football, theSaudi Arabia welcomed several big names during the 2023 summer transfer window. Karim Benzema, Neymar, N’Golo Kanté, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez… Many people have followed in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo by joining Saudi Pro League clubs, often for astronomical amounts and salaries.
Witsel does not validate
But if many players have given in to the Saudi sirens, whether they are at the end of their career or not, this new “fashionable” championship does not necessarily please everyone, or at least the reasons cited for joining it. Many mentioned the sporting project and the desire to see this championship develop, words thatAxel Witsel finds them quite hypocritical, as he mentioned on Radio Marca this Saturday.
The Atlético Madrid midfielder, who joined China in 2017, thinks the players should simply assume that the financial aspect weighed heavily in their decision. “I’m not going to say that it was bad that Yannick (Carrasco) went to Saudi Arabia this summer because I went to China myself at 27 years old. It was a life experience, obviously you go there for the money. We don’t have to lie and talk about a ‘sporting project’. It’s the truth “explained the 34-year-old player.
