Ronaldo, Benzema and Saudi Pro League starts called out by Witsel
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 23 Sept 2023 15:57 BST
- 3 min read
Atletico Madrid midfielder Axel Witsel has hit out at some of the stars who left for the Saudi Pro League this year.
Speaking to Radio Marca, the veteran midfielder took aim at some of the biggest names who decided to head to the league in the Middle East, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kazim Benzema.
The Belgian, who has formerly played in China, also referred to his former team-mate Yannick Carrasco, who left for Al-Shabab: “ Each of us has his own path. I'm not saying it was bad to leave for Saudi Arabia, I went to China when I was 27. He did well, for me it was a life experience. Obviously, we go there for the money, we don't have to talk about the sports project. It's the truth, Carrasco did it and that's fine with me."
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Indeed, Witsel joined Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian from Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2017, going on to make 36 appearances for the club. He moved back to Europe in 2018, joining German giants Borussia Dortmund, where he made 145 outings for the club. Witsel now plays in Spain’s capital, where he’s been for two seasons.
Madrid legends move to Saudi Pro League
Ronaldo was the first big name to make the move to the Saudi Pro League last January after reaching an agreement with Al Nassr.
The Real Madrid legend has made 33 appearances for the club, netting 29 goals. Benzema, another Real Madrid hero, joined Al-Ittihad on a free transfer, in the same year that he won football’s prestigious Ballon d’Or award for his superb season with Los Blancos. The Frenchman was then followed by a number of star names in the same window, most surprisingly joined Al-Ahli despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, and Manchester City.
