Another RSL star to extend, why Demiral very much ‘belongs’ at Al Ahli | OneFootball

“I’m not just staying... I belong.”

With those words, Merih Demiral committed his future to Al Ahli, penning a new three-year deal that will keep him at the Roshn Saudi League club until at least 2029.

In the PR world of modern football, hyperbole is nothing new in a signing, or a re-signing, announcement. But with Demiral, you very much get the sense that this isn’t any exaggeration at all.

The Turkiye international is not one to do things in half measures. When he’s in, he’s all in. And, even though he was born 3,000 kilometres away in Karamursel, his home and his heart are now very much in Jeddah.

Al Ahli's Merih Demiral delights in his team's victory in the Sea Derby v Al Ittihad

Perhaps growing up in the coastal city, a small place on the south coast of Gulf of Izmit, explains why Demiral feels so at home on the shores of the Red Sea.

Or perhaps it is his connection with the Al Ahli supporters, which feels deeper than your regular player-fan relation. Demiral wears his heart on his sleeve and feeds off the vociferous support of those in the stands - just as they gain strength from his full-throttle performances.

Whatever it is, it’s become difficult to imagine the 27-year-old anywhere else. And that is significant for several reasons.

The former Juventus and Atalanta defender was part of the first wave of international stars to commit their future to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023, helping elevate the standard and profile of the RSL to unprecedented levels.

Having taken that initial leap of faith, Demiral joins a growing list of those 2023 trailblazers to re-sign and re-commit their futures to the RSL, such as Al Hilal duo Yassine Bono and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. It is yet another demonstration of the league’s growing status and importance in world football.

Far from just coming for the financial benefit, players have instead embraced the opportunity afforded to them. That is, building genuine connection and legacy at their respective clubs through their longevity, which only enhances the reputation of everyone involved: player, club and league.

At the heart of it all, however, is the football. Three-year contracts aren’t just handed out; they are earned. And, after two-and-a-bit seasons, Demiral has more than earned his extension at Al Ahli.

Stationed at the heart of the team’s defence, he has built one of the league’s most convincing and combative defensive partnerships alongside Brazilian Roger Ibanez.

From rivals in Italy’s Serie A - Demiral with Atalanta, Ibanez with AS Roma - they are now two peas in a pod at Al Ahli, forming a central part of a defensive unit that has consistently been one of the league’s best in recent seasons.

Their style is not for the faint hearted. Bot are ultra-aggressive, bringing a warrior spirit to their team. In Al Ahli’s historic run to AFC Champions League Elite glory last season, Demiral and Ibanez were fierce and almost impenetrable.

There are no pretences with these two; what you see is what you get. What do you get? Well, 100 percent effort, 100% of the time. It’s just not aggression for aggression’s sake; there is method to their mightiness. And it’s reflected in the numbers.

In last term’s RSL, the pair were ranked first and second at Al Ahli for both passes and clearances, while Demiral came second in the entire league for percentage of duels won, winning 65.7% of 169. Ibanez, for what it’s worth, was also ranked in the top 20 in the league, winning 58.5% of his 313.

The most important job of a defender, though, is keeping the ball out of the net. That’s where Al Ahli have prospered this campaign: they boast the second-best defensive record in the RSL, while last season (and the season prior), it was third.

Working in tandem, Demiral and Ibanez are, in so many ways, the beating heart of Al Ahli. For sure in a playing sense, but also in spiritual and cultural sense. They are leaders inside and outside the pitch, setting the standard for others to follow.

Whether Demiral expected to find this kind of love when he arrived in Jeddah, it’s difficult to know. But now that he’s here, he fits the familiar footballing phrase of bleeding his team's colours. In this case, Al Ahli's white and green.

“I’ve never seen this kind of support before,” Demiral said on his social media channels after Al Ahli’s AFC Champions League Elite success in May. “[You] can’t imagine how much I love this club.”

With a fresh three-year deal penned, the feeling appears very much mutual.