Richard Ríos didn’t want to leave? Benfica exit details revealed | OneFootball

It is confirmed: Richard Ríos has left Benfica and joined Al Ittihad. After all the exchange of documents during the early hours of Wednesday, the Colombian international’s loan move was officially announced late at night.

According to Record, the deal was sealed after some hesitation on the player’s part. Ríos did, however, give the green light to the move and accepted the project presented by the Saudi club. The midfielder will be loaned out by Benfica until the end of the 2026/27 season, with no option to buy, in an operation that brings around €4 million into the Reds’ coffers.

Richard Ríos was no longer part of yesterday’s training session and is expected in Saudi Arabia this Thursday to join his new club. Al Ittihad will also be responsible for the Colombian international’s wages, allowing Benfica’s SAD to ease the costs associated with the player during the loan period.

The move to the Middle East has also already been reflected on the footballer’s partner’s social media. Madu Carvalho, a Brazilian digital content creator, changed her social media bio, adding a Saudi Arabian flag and removing the Portuguese one.

Richard Ríos is leaving the Luz temporarily after a first season in which he established himself as one of Benfica’s key options. The midfielder made 45 appearances, contributing eight goals and six assists, numbers that helped justify the €27 million investment made by the Eagles to sign him from Palmeiras.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.