Roberto Firmino has hit a new low in Saudi Arabia (Image: Getty)
Roberto Firmino has been excluded from Al-Ahli’s Saudi Pro League squad for the second half of the season in a sad new low for the icon. Registration rules mean clubs can only register 10 foreign players for their domestic campaign.
Firmino has captained Al-Ahli for most of the season, scoring nine goals in 25 appearances across all competitions. However, the Brazilian is the victim of Al-Ahli’s recent signing of Wenderson Galeno from Porto.
Galeno’s arrival means Al-Ahli have 11 foreign players, with the likes of Riyad Mahrez, , Gabri Veiga and Franck Kessie among the players who have been lured from European clubs over the past few years.
Head coach Matthias Jaissle opted to exclude Firmino, with the 33-year-old now only able to play in the AFC Champions League.
Jaissle explained: “It was a difficult decision for the club and based on the rules. We appreciate him and he dealt with it professionally. He’s still one of our leaders.”
It comes just days after Firmino scored a sensational bicycle kick in the AFC Champions League. He swivelled and acrobatically volleyed home to equalise as Al-Ahli eventually ran out 3-1 winners.
Firmino joined the European exodus to Saudi Arabia in 2023 after his contract expired. The experienced forward had become a fringe player under and decided to leave after eight years on Merseyside.
He explained in his autobiography: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was a match against Wolves, in which I came on as a substitute in the last minute. That was it. Right there, I understood.
Roberto Firmino has scored nine goals this season (Image: Getty)
“As we say in Brazil, the penny dropped. I knew now. I called my agents. Roger Wittmann and Christian Rapp met with me for a face-to-face talk. We left the living room and went to my room: just me, Christian, Roger and Larissa, no distractions. Christian and Roger were perfectly transparent about everything that was happening and the club’s view of my future.
“It wasn’t a war. It was just a difference in understanding about what I could offer to . I reflected a lot and realised that God’s plan was to take me somewhere else.
“God didn’t want me to stay in , but I was insisting. I didn’t listen. But I couldn’t avoid it any more. It was time to accept. I decided it was time to seek another challenge for myself, another purpose. My time at had come to an end.”