'I did not join Saudi just for money' says Spanish wonderkid Gabri Veiga
Cameron Smith
- 12 Oct 2023 08:27 BST
- 3 min read
Gabri Veiga has insisted that he did not join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli purely for monetary reasons.
The 21-year-old Spanish midfielder was wanted by every big club in Europe this summer, but he decided to reject that interest in favour of moving to football’s new lucrative league.
Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Napoli were among the clubs keen on signing Veiga during the most recent transfer window, and the youngster was slammed by Los Blancos star Toni Kroos for moving to Saudi Arabia.
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After Veiga’s transfer to Al-Ahli was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano in August, Kroos replied to the transfer expert’s Instagram post with a comment that simply stated: “embarrassing.”
Toni Kroos is unimpressed with Spain prodigy Gabri Veiga's move to Al-Ahli.
Do you agree with him? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/NPPIwLpWMp— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 24, 2023
The German was clearly unhappy with Veiga’s decision to leave Europe for the riches of the Saudi Pro League, but the Spanish midfielder has claimed that his transfer was not motivated by money.
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He told El Larguero: “I did not join Saudi just for money. It was the best option to develop as a player, grow under a young coach, team full of stars and league improving as Saudi Pro League.
“I'm 100% proud of my choice.”
Veiga’s shock move to Saudi Arabia
Veiga was one of the breakout stars of the 2022-23 season, with the Spaniard scoring 11 goals and providing four assists for Celta Vigo. That form caught the attention of scouts across the continent, but Al-Ahli won the race for his signature.
The 21-year-old was one of several high-profile names to move from Europe to Saudi Arabia this summer, along with Neymar, Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Riyad Mahrez and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Al-Ahli paid €40 million to sign Veiga, making him the most expensive player in the club’s history. Mahrez (€35m), Roger Ibanez (€30m), Allan Saint-Maximin (€27.2m), Merih Demiral (€20m), Edouard Mendy (€18.5m) and Franck Kessie (€12.5m) also joined Al-Ahli this summer.
