In addition to Karim Benzema, several stars are said to regret going to Saudi Arabia

In December 2022 Cristiano Ronaldo announced his decision to leave Manchester United to join Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia in exchange for a multi-million dollar salary of over $200 million per year. This shocked everyone, as it was the first time the Portuguese striker had chosen a club outside Europe to continue his professional career, while the amount of money he was offered was far higher than the highest contracts in England, Spain, France, Germany and Italy.

This changed the soccer map. Just a few months later, many other stars followed CR7's path and joined the Pro League. Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Aymeric Laporte joined Cristiano at Al-Nassr, while Neymar, Bono and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic joined Al-Hilal. Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino agreed to join Al-Ahli, and N'Golo Kanté and Karim Benzema did the same at Al-Ittihad.

However, in just six months things have changed. According to Sport newspaper, many of these players are regretting the decision they made and are considering breaking their contracts in Saudi Arabia and returning to Europe. Cultural differences in the Asian country and the lack of interest in the Pro League are some of the main causes of this situation.

Karim Benzema is one of the disappointed ones. Reports indicate that he is not happy at Al-Ittihad despite the $200 million he earns per year there, while fans are also not satisfied with his performances and the results obtained by the team. But he is not the only one.

Who are the others?

Sport claims that Roberto Firmino is considering leaving Al-Ahli, as he lost his place in the team there and has only scored goals on his debut. Sheffield United could bring him back to the Premier League. And another player who wants to return to England is Jordan Henderson, who last summer left Liverpool for $43 million per season at Al-Ettifaq. But the weather, lack of fan enthusiasm and team problems have let him down.