From AZ to AC Milan. From Milan to Manchester City. And from City, at the age of 28 – just when his glory years were due to begin – to the Saudi club Al-Qadsiah. No, not many people saw Tijjani Reijnders’ summer transfer coming. “Me, a money-grabber? I can’t deny it,” he says with complete honesty. In a rondo variation during training, Reijnders feels right at home. Like Joey Veerman, he stands in the centre, clad in a green bib, acting as a link-up player. In the ten minutes the exercise lasts, he doesn’t lose possession once. It doesn’t escape the notice of new national team manager Xavi. This is the first time Reijnders has been called up to the Dutch national team as a player for Al-Qadsiah, currently fourth in the Saudi league, two points behind leaders Al-Hilal, managed by his compatriot and fellow international Crysensio Summerville. Reijnders has already scored three goals in five matches. Of course, he understands the questions surrounding his transfer. He is in the prime of his career and has shown that he can compete at the very highest level. Was he a key player at City? No, not really. But for a first season, it wasn’t half bad. Yet he wasn’t happy at City. Reijnders sees himself as a dynamic midfielder, moving between attack and defence, as a ‘number 8’. At City, he increasingly found himself playing as a ‘number 10’, the most attacking midfielder from whom a great deal of creativity is expected. ‘During pre-season, I realised that things were heading in that direction again at City, and I started to wonder whether I wanted another season like that. The honest answer was no. I wanted to look further afield, and the club then told me I was free to do so,’ explains Reijnders. There were options within Europe. Clubs such as Atlético Madrid and Juventus were interested, and there were also approaches from within England, but one after another, those clubs found themselves stymied by City’s financial terms. Al-Qadsiah were certainly able to cough up a substantial sum (61 million euros), but the player himself still needed convincing. “I think a lot of people believe that your career as a top footballer is over when you choose to take a step like that. I felt that way at first, too.” It was conversations with Al-Qadsiah manager Brendan Rodgers that made Reijnders change his mind. “He said I could easily enjoy playing here for three or four years and then return to Europe. There are plenty of examples of that now. That’s my aim too.” Then there’s the elephant in the room: the money. Reijnders stands to earn around one hundred million euros in Saudi Arabia over four years. A staggering sum, even for a top footballer. “You can always play the moral high ground, but I think everyone would say yes to that,” says Reijnders. “I don’t want to work after my career. I didn’t need to after City, but now I can also set up future generations well.” In short: “If this decision means my grandchildren can live comfortably too, why wouldn’t I do it?”, suggests the former AZ player. Reijnders plays in Khobar, a city on the Persian Gulf with a population of over 400,000, close to the major port city of Dammam. The temperature there is currently 38 degrees. At night, it ‘cools down’ to around 31 degrees. During the day, it is too hot to play football. Training takes place in the evening. Reijnders is very impressed with the standard. “It’s not as though I can play at 65 per cent in every match there. I actually rate the Saudi league, with all those big names, even higher than the Eredivisie. If people want to pass judgement on the football there, they should see it for themselves first.” National team manager Xavi had also spoken up in defence of the Saudi Pro League at a press conference the day before. “If you follow the league, you’ll see that the standard isn’t bad. And if a player performs well there, I have no problem selecting him.” These are statements that Reijnders finds encouraging. Thanks to Xavi, he senses a fresh energy within the Dutch national team. “After the first meeting, I immediately felt like getting out onto the pitch. New ideas and a new way of playing football. I think it’s good for the squad as well.”   submitted by   /u/Roller95 [link]   [comments]