Graeme Souness in the Saudi Arabian Professional League Former Liverpool captain and manager Graham Souness has been ruthless in targeting the quality of the Saudi Arabian Professional League.In the summer transfer window, Europe’s biggest stars headed to the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia’s professional league throwing big money at players to lure them.
One of those who made the move was former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. The move is controversial given his past support for LGBTQ rights. But when the England international faced Al Riyadh at Al Etifaq on Sunday, October 22, it was a crowd of just 696 spectators. The biggest SPL crowd to watch Gerrard’s side to date was at Al Ahly last month, with 14,045 in attendance.
And Souness is not surprised the crowds were so low after watching several games on his last holiday in Portugal and believes he can still compete at the age of 70. In his Daily Mail column, he said: “I spent a week in Portugal last week, going to the gym every day and sometimes watching Portuguese TV during Saudi Arabia League matches.
“It was an experience that helped me understand why 696 fans turned out to watch Jordan Henderson’s Al Etifaq lose at home. “I can say it was a difficult game and I thought, ‘I can play this football for 30 minutes as an older central midfielder.’ I make myself available!”
