Star Wars in Saudi Arabia officially began with the return of a Jeddah club and a hat trick from Roberto Firmino in front of their home fans in Hollywood.

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A free transfer, albeit a very well paid one, stole the spotlight on opening night after a government-funded summer shopping spree sent stars like Karim Benzema, Steven Gerrard, and Jordan Henderson to the middle east to join Cristiano Ronaldo.

The second-tier Al-Ahli defeated the unlucky Al-Hazem, who were not among the four companies acquired by the PIF state fund in June.

Around 25,000 people packed into the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium on the outskirts of the coastal city to see Firmino and three other recent Premier League signings—Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Edouard Mendy—make their debuts. Many arrived three hours before the game started, but they did not have to wait long to see the action.

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Both Mahrez and Firmino scored in the opening 15 minutes, and fans of the opposing teams (Manchester City and Liverpool) were ecstatic.

Leaving Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively, these two players join the list of Premier League athletes moving from Europe to the Middle East in the summer 2023 transfer window.

Their adaptation happened quickly as the duo didn’t take long to show their class, by combining to score in Al Ahli’s debut against Al Hazem this morning.

It only took 6 minutes for the Brazilian striker to score his first goal for his new team. Next, just four minutes later, the 31-year-old doubled the lead thanks to an accurate pass from the Algerian midfielder.

In the end, he had the perfect start to his career in Saudi Arabia with his third goal in the 72nd minute, giving his side a 3-1 win.

Firmino and Mahrez are not the only famous players to leave the EPL for the Asian side, with former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and former Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin also joining the move. immigrated to Al Ahli.