Reijnders speaks candidly: “I don’t want to work anymore; now I’m going to take care of my family.”

Tijjani Reijnders spoke candidly about the reasons that led him to accept the transfer offer from Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia and to leave Europe and top-tier soccer behind after his stints at Manchester City and Milan.

The Dutch midfielder didn’t beat around the bush: “Money obviously played a role,” he told SBS6. “After my career, I don’t want to have to work anymore. I shouldn’t have had to do that even after my time at City, but now I can also help the next generations of my family. If my grandchildren can live off it, why shouldn’t I? I think most people had already guessed as much; there’s no point in lying.”

Reijnders will earn close to 100 million euros over the years in Saudi Arabia. The 28-year-old player left Manchester City after one year, having previously spent two years with Milan, where he played in 104 matches and scored 19 goals. For the national team, Reijnders has played in 35 matches and represented the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup, appearing in three games.

The transfer to Al-Qadsiah was officially confirmed for a fee of just over 60 million euros paid to Manchester City. The Dutchman’s time in the Premier League had not been particularly impressive: having joined the Citizens in the summer of 2025 for approximately 55 million euros plus bonuses, Reijnders had struggled to establish himself under Pep Guardiola, seeing less and less playing time as the season progressed. This downward trajectory had prompted the English club to put him on the market as early as this past summer, with the Saudi league as his final destination.