Brazil midfielder Fabinho has completed a three-year move from Liverpool to Al Ittihad, according to an announcement by the Saudi club on Monday. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but British media reported that Al Ittihad paid £40 million ($51.33 million) for the 29-year-old player.
Despite initial concerns about the breed of Fabinho’s dogs, which are prohibited from entering Saudi Arabia, the deal went ahead smoothly. Al-Ittihad even released a video on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, titled “Tigers are permitted to pass” to address these concerns. The video featured Fabinho holding a tiger and declaring, “I’m Tiger.”
Expressing his gratitude to Liverpool, Fabinho wrote on X, “Today I leave my home. It’s been five years wearing this jersey and always with the greatest honor and happiness possible. I love this club. Thank you, Reds, for everything we’ve experienced together. You will never walk alone.”
Fabinho will be joining Al Ittihad alongside Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante at the Jeddah-based club. During his time at Liverpool, Fabinho made 219 appearances and played a crucial role in the team’s success, including winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Super Cup titles.
In addition to Fabinho, Jordan Henderson also left Liverpool last week to join Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Pro League has become an attractive destination for high-profile players, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr last January reportedly worth around $220 million per year.
($1 = 0.7792 pounds)
Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City and Shady Amir in Cairo, editing by Pritha Sarkar
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