The professional football career of a player is often brief, with many players choosing to retire before reaching the age of 40. In light of this, the desire for a substantial financial reward is prevalent in the sport. As a result, we have witnessed some of the greatest players in history signing lucrative contracts with clubs in the Middle East and the United States.
Over the past number of generations, we have seen a growing number of players opting to play the final years of their career in the Middle East, with Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the latest in a long list of stars following his record-breaking move to Al Nassr in the final days of 2022. But, which other stars have we seen wind down their careers in the Gulf region?
Rivellino
One of the first big superstars that ended his career in the Gulf region was Rivellino. The playmaking number ten spent almost the entirety of his career in his native Brazil, as he played over 200 times for Corinthians, before joining Fluminense for a three-year stint. He was an excellent playmaker during his career and perfected the move called the ‘flip-flap’, which was later made famous by Ronaldinho.
The Brazilian was famous for being one of the stars of the Brazil team that won the World Cup in 1970, and his final big move came when he signed for Al-Hilal. Rivellino played for three years in the Middle East, winning the King’s Cup in 1980.
Hristo Stoichkov
Cristiano Ronaldo will now be the player that many Al Nassr bettors will be examining when looking at the latest markets offered by https://www.a7labet.com/. However, the Portuguese star isn’t the first big European talent to play for the Saudi club, as Hristo Stoichkov made the move to the Gulf club as he winded down his time in the professional sport in 1998.
After dominating during his European career with Barcelona, CSKA Sofia, and Parma, the former European Golden Shoe winner moved to Al Nassr in 1998. However, his time at the club was short-lived, as he played just a handful of times during his one-season stay. But, he was part of the Al Nassr team that won the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998 before he later moved on to the United States to play for Chicago Fire and D.C. United.
Denilson
It seems a lifetime ago, but at one point, Denilson was the world’s most expensive player. The striker signed for Real Betis in 1998 when aged just 17 for a world record fee. However, his time in Spain was largely disappointing, as he scored just 14 goals in 196 games after moving to Europe for Sao Paulo. Denilson would later return to his native Brazil in 2000 for a loan spell with Flamengo.
The striker later enjoyed a decent stint in France with Bordeaux, before ending his time in Europe in 2006 by signing for Al Nassr. During a season stay at the Saudi club, he scored three goals in 15 games before later moving to FC Dallas, Hai Phong, and Kavala. Denilson was famously part of the World Cup-winning team in 2002 and scored eight goals in 61 appearances for Brazil.
Fabio Cannavaro
There are few more celebrated central defenders in world football than Fabio Cannavaro. The Italian was a pioneering defender throughout his career and was part of the Italy team that reached the final of EURO 2000, and the squad that won the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Cannavaro played for some of the biggest clubs in Italy, including Napoli, Inter Milan, and Juventus, but he failed to win a single Serie A title.
Following Italy’s World Cup success in 2006, Cannavaro moved to Real Madrid, where he would win the La Liga title on two occasions. The defender ended his career in Europe following a final stint with Juventus in 2010, and he signed for Al-Ahli. Cannavaro stayed at the club for a season, scoring twice in 16 games. Following his retirement, he would later take numerous coaching roles in Asia, including a stint as assistant manager at Al-Ahil, and a full-time coaching role at Al Nassr. However, in 2022, he returned to his native Italy to take over as manager at Serie B side Benevento.
Conclusion
Football in the Gulf has always had the ability to attract some of the biggest stars in the world, and there has been further evidence of that following Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Al Nassr. The additions of world-class players will only continue to have a profound impact on the league’s success, and development of young stars.