9 forgotten ballers you had no idea are now playing in Qatar: Verratti, Firmino… | OneFootball

The Qatar Stars League is home to some serious ballers and we’ve picked out nine of them who would be forgiven for having forgotten all about – including ex Liverpool and Real Madrid stars.

Prior to hosting the 2022 World Cup, Qatar invested huge sums of money into their football league and they’ve since attracted plenty of big names to its top division.

We’ve taken a closer look at the Qatar Stars League and have found nine players that we can’t believe are still going.

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Mitrovic has always looked happiest when he’s bullying defenders and racking up goals for fun. Nothing has changed since he left the Premier League.

He scored 40 goals in 43 games during his debut season with Al Hilal, a stat line eerily similar to his 2021–22 Championship campaign with Fulham, where he managed 44 goals in 43 games.

The numbers don’t lie: Mitrovic ended up scoring 68 goals in 79 matches for Al Hilal before his summer move across the Middle East to Al-Rayyan (currently two goals in three games).

Marco Verratti

Verratti is one of the best midfielders of his generation, but he’s been out of the limelight since leaving PSG in 2023.

Given he’s still only 33 years old, we can’t help but feel like the diminutive Italian could still be doing a job for a top European side.

But Verratti chose to stay in Qatar despite switching clubs this summer, moving from Al-Arabi to Al Duhail.  We sure miss watching him on Champions League nights especially.

Roberto Firmino

Firmino moved to Qatar over the summer after two years in Saudi Arabia.

The striker left Liverpool in 2023 after eight hugely successful years at Anfield and won the AFC Champions League Elite during his time at Al-Ahli.

Now with Al Sadd, Firmino has scored six goals in eight league games. This included a hat-trick in a recent 8-0 victory, intensifying his claims for a Brazil recall.

We miss his nonchalant skills and incredibly shiny teeth in the Premier League.

Julian Draxler

Having produced 40 goal contributions in just 50 games since signing for Al-Ahli, it’s safe to say that Draxler is levels above the competition in Qatar.

The German international joined his current club back in 2023 and has been busy tearing up the competition since.

Somehow, Draxler is still only 32. But it looks like he’ll never make the Premier League move that once seemed like his destiny.

Presnel Kimpembe

Something of a forgotten man, Kimpembe’s last two years at PSG were severely reduced by his injury hell.

The defender was forced to undergo back-to-back surgeries on an Achilles tendon injury and made just five appearances over his past two seasons.

He’s now joined Qatar SC, bringing his 20-year association with PSG to an end. We hope Kimpembe can recover what is left of his career.

Joselu

It was just last year that Joselu was scoring goals in the Champions League semi-final and winning the biggest trophies on offer with Real Madrid.

Flash forward to the present day and he’s currently banging them in for Al-Gharafa. Across all competitions, the 35-year-old has scored 25 goals in Qatar along with providing a couple of assists too.

Mason Holgate

Holgate’s departure from Everton was one that definitely slipped under our radar, but the 29-year-old joined Al Gharafa over the summer.

The Cheetahs, as they are known, finished third last season and Rio Ferdinand gave his seal of approval with a “Love this” comment under the announcement.

Never misses an opportunity to shill for the Middle East, does Rio. What tax-free reason could he possibly have for doing so?

Luis Alberto

Once upon a time, Alberto was a Liverpool player. But his time on Merseyside was very forgettable; the Spaniard is far better known for his superb eight-season career with Lazio.

After tentatively finding his feet during his first season in Rome, Alberto played an average of 42.5 games per season across the following seven years. An absolute stalwart.

He was picked up by Al-Duhail for a fee of €12 million in June 2024, scoring nine goals and providing 13 assists in his 43 appearances to date.

Rodrigo

Five years ago, Leeds United signed Rodrigo for a club-record fee upon their return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa.

During his final season at Elland Road, he scored 15 goals which is only slightly less than he’s managed over the last few years playing in Qatar.

Now aged 34, Rodrigo has scored 20 goals for Al-Rayyan.