Kalidou Koulibaly departs for Saudi Arabia from Chelsea
Kalidou Koulibaly joined Al-Hilal from Chelsea on a three-year deal, becoming the newest football star to go to Saudi Arabia.
The Senegal international has chosen to play in the lucrative Saudi Pro League, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and N’Golo Kante.
This week, Al-Hilal, the most successful team in Saudi Arabia, also acquired Ruben Neves from Wolverhampton, a Portugal international.
When Koulibaly arrived, Al-Hilal tweeted, “From London Blues to Asia’s Leader.”
Financial information was kept private.
The 32-year-old centre defender joined Chelsea last summer on a four-year deal from Napoli and played 32 appearances for the team in all competitions during that time. A number of players, including Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Edouard Mendy, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Romelu Lukaku, are anticipated to go from Chelsea for a variety of locations.
In a statement, Chelsea announced that it wanted to “thank Kalidou for his contributions both on and off the pitch during his time at Stamford Bridge and wish him well for the next phase of his career.”
Before joining Chelsea, Koulibaly was regarded as one of Europe’s greatest defenders. However, he was a part of a season that was very disappointing for the London club, which saw them finish 12th in the Premier League.
It was an honour to wear this badge from my first game to my last, he tweeted. “While last season wasn’t what we had hoped for, I want to thank the club’s supporters and everyone for their support,” he said.
This summer, Saudi football has started an ambitious recruiting campaign in an effort to nab a number of players from the continent’s best divisions.
Before Lionel Messi decided to join Inter Miami, Al-Hilal was apparently leading the pursuit for the Argentine superstar. However, the Saudi league is still making an effort to get additional star players, with Alex Telles of Manchester United and Thomas Partey of Arsenal also being connected.
