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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In the first 15 minutes, Mahrez and Firmino both scored, and the rival teams’ (Manchester City and Liverpool) supporters were jubilant.

These two players, who will depart Liverpool and Manchester City, are among the Premier League athletes who will move to the Middle East in the summer 2023 transfer window from Europe.

Their adjustment happened fast, as evidenced by the fact that they scored together in Al Ahli’s opening match 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.