Former captain of Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, has joined the ranks of star players making a move to Saudi Arabia.
He recently signed a contract to become the head coach of Al-Ettifaq.
At the age of 43, Gerrard has been out of the game since his dismissal from Aston Villa in October.
Initially, he had declined an offer to move to the Gulf state, but he has now been enticed by the lucrative opportunities available.
“Where legends are found. We’re thrilled to announce Steven Gerrard is our new head coach,” the club said in a post on Twitter.
Al-Ettifaq finished seventh out of 16 clubs in the Saudi Pro League last season.
Backed by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, the Saudi Pro League is luring big names from the major European leagues with the promise of huge salaries.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr in January started the trend.
His former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema and French World Cup winner N’Golo Kante of Chelsea have recently joined Al-Ittihad.
Former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo and ex-Benfica Jorge Jesus are among the coaches to head to Saudi.
Since retiring from a glittering playing career, Gerrard did have success during his spell in charge of Scottish giants Rangers, where he won the club’s only league title in the past 12 years in 2020/21.