Former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino has been axed from the Saudi Pro League for the remainder of the season
Former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino faces an uncertain future after being left out of Al-Ahli’s squad for the second of the Saudi Pro League season. The Saudi Arabia team took the decision after the recent signing of Wenderson Galeno from Porto.
Saudi Pro League rules state clubs can register only 10 foreign players for their domestic campaign, with Galeno becoming the 11th such signing in the ranks at Al-Ahli.
And head coach Matthias Jaissle has chosen to cut Firmino, with the 33-year-old now only able to play in the AFC Champions League with Al-Ahli already through to the last 16
It was a difficult decision for the club and based on the rules,” said Jaissle. “We appreciate him and he dealt with it professionally. He’s still one of our leaders.
Firmino – who spent eight years at Liverpool before leaving in the summer of 2023 – has scored nine goals in 25 appearances for Al-Ahli this season, and has skippered the team for much of the campaign.
The decision to remove him from the domestic squad came just days after he had scored an impressive overhead kick and provided an assist in the 3-1 AFC Champions League win at Al-Sadd.
Ex-Liverpool players have suffered mixed experiences since moving to Saudi Arabia. Jordan Henderson spent just six months at Al-Ettifaq, where Gini Wijnaldum still plays but Steven Gerrard recently left as manager. Fabinho remains a regular at title-chasing Al-Ittihad while Sadio Mane is an ever-present with Al-Nassr.
