OFFICIAL: Nacho becomes new Al Qadsiah player

Saudi Arabian club Al Qadsiah announced on Thursday the signing of former Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez on a two-season deal for a team coached by Spain's Michel Gonzalez. In a video lasting almost a minute, the team said Nacho has signed until 2026 and will keep his number 6 shirt.

The clip also showed different images of the city of Madrid and some of the defender's moves during his games for the club, as well as the Madrid native signing the contract and saying: "Al Qadsiah, I'm coming".

The club did not indicate how much the 34-year-old Spaniard will be paid, but according to Saudi media, his salary will be 10 million euros per season. Real Madrid made official two days ago the departure of the former first-team captain, who joined the club at the age of ten.

Al Qadsiah, who have just been promoted to the Saudi Professional League, are heavily backed financially by oil company Aramco, which acquired ownership of the club in June 2023.

The team joined the list of Saudi clubs that have been privatised in the recent period, a series that started with Al Hilal, Al Nassr or Al Ittihad, which were converted into companies and their ownership was transferred to the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

Nacho's new team is the biggest club in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, specifically in the city of Al Khobar, which is about 430 kilometres from the capital Riyadh.