Kalidou Koulibaly has put, like so many other stars of European football, heading to the millionaire league of Saudi Arabia. Chelsea’s ex-central Senegals follows the path marked out by Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kant and Rubn Neves has signed for him Al-Hilal saud until the 2025-2026 season.
The defender has opened up about the reasons that have led him to leave elite football in Europe and embark on a minor league, but with a lot of economic power. “I can not deny it. With this money I will be able to help my whole family to live well, from my parents to my cousins. You will also be able to invest in the activities of my Capitaine du Coeur association in Senegal. We started building a pediatric clinic in the town where my parents were born and married. I have many projects to help young people,” said the player.
Money has not been the only reason for Koulibaly to make the decision to go to Arabia. Religion has also had weight. “I am a Muslim, I come to an ideal country for me and my family. Mecca is close. I am a believer, so it’s important to me. I’m in my place, there I am. I’m going to feel better”, he stated in ‘Corriere dello Sport’.
A pioneer in the Arabian League
The Senegalese defender is one of the first cracks to sign for a club in the Arabian league, something that makes him excited: “I am delighted to be one of the first to land in an evolving league: I hope to help Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal to write a new sports history. And then there’s this very important contract.”
Koulibaly acknowledges that he has been received in an exceptional way since the signing became known: “In Riyadh they welcomed me in an extraordinary way. The president treated me with enormous respect, I have rarely received so much attention and such availability: I want to return all the affection in the field. I want to win for them.”
