9 players who fell off the footballing map after moving to Qatar

Former Aston Villa, PSG and Lazio stars are among the high-profile players who have fallen off the footballing map since moving to Qatar.

While Qatar received plenty of media attention during the 2022 World Cup, football fans from around the globe aren’t overly familiar with the Qatar Stars League.

We’ve taken a closer look at the top division in Qatar and have found nine players who have gone under the radar since moving there.

Marco Verratti

During his time in Paris, Verratti was one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Europe. However, since moving to Qatar in 2023, it’s safe to say that his profile within the game has diminished.

Since signing for Al-Arabi, Verratti hasn’t made an international appearance and he’s only managed 32 games at club level.

With his contract in Qatar set to expire at the end of the season, his long-term future is currently up in the air.

Luis Alberto

Alberto went from playing in front of 40,000 fans at Lazio to a fraction of that with Qatari club Al-Duhail.

The Spaniard called it quits on his eight-year career in Italy over the summer to sign for Al-Duhail in a deal worth around £10million.

“I also received calls from Europe, but the Spanish clubs were not willing to pay the price tag to Lazio,” Alberto told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Already a year ago, I was sought by Qatar, and when the deal fell through, I gave my word that, as soon as possible, I would sign for them.”

Mahmoud Trezeguet

The former Aston Villa star is technically still on the books at Trabzonspor, but he’s spending the 2024-25 campaign on loan with Qatari side Al-Rayyan.

Since making the switch, the Egyptian winger has made eight league appearances and has scored three goals.

However, his loan spell in Qatar could be cut short as Egyptian side Al Ahly are keen to sign the 30-year-old before the FIFA Club World Cup kicks off.

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Benjamin Bourigeaud

Bourigeaud was a household name in France with the midfielder having over 250 Ligue 1 appearances for Lens and Rennes under his belt.

Despite enjoying his best-ever scoring season in 2023-24 where he scored 15 goals, he recently opted to leave France behind for a new challenge.

While the 30-year-old was subject to interest from Saudi clubs over the summer, he instead made the move to Qatar to join Al-Duhail.

Abdou Diallo

Despite being younger than the likes of Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe who he used to play alongside, Diallo is now spending his peak years away from the European limelight.

Most players tend to peak around the age of 28 but in the case of Diallo, he enjoyed his most successful years in his early twenties.

The former Borussia Dortmund and PSG defender has been playing in Qatar since 2023 and he still has another two and a half years to run on his contract with Al-Arabi.

Julian Draxler

The former Schalke and PSG star has been consistently linked with a move to the Premier League throughout his career, but it now seems as if that ship has sailed.

After being deemed surplus to requirements in the French capital, the 31-year-old signed for Qatari side Al Ahli in the summer of 2023.

Since heading to the Middle East, Draxler has not made an international appearance for Germany and has kept a relatively low profile.

Joselu

The Spaniard was scoring clutch goals for Real Madrid just a few months ago but is now playing for Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa.

He has still been involved with the Spanish national side since moving to Qatar, although he wasn’t selected in Luis de la Fuente’s latest squad.

In total, the 34-year-old has scored eight goals in 18 appearances for Al-Gharafa since making the lucrative switch.

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Javi Martinez

The former Bayern Munich star has kept himself out of the limelight since leaving the German giants back in 2021.

Since then, he’s been playing for Qatari side Qatar SC where he’s racked up 84 appearances over the last three and a half years.

The 36-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and it remains to be seen if he will return to Europe before he retires.

Rodrigo

Four years ago, Leeds United signed Rodrigo for a club-record fee and now aged 33, he’s playing in Qatar.

During his final season at Elland Road, he scored 15 goals which is more than he’s managed over the last year and a half playing in Qatar.