Wallet Talk in Riyadh: Is This Keeper Worth the Payroll?
25 January 2026
Salary spotlight sparks debate
The prominent Saudi media figure Walid Al-Faraj targeted Al Hilal’s goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Rubaei after a 1-1 draw with Al-Riyadh on matchday 18 of the Roshen Pro League on Sunday night, stirring a conversation about value, performance, and pay in Saudi football.
The numbers and the questions
The draw left Al Hilal on 41 points atop the table, while Al Riyadh rose to 11 points in sixteenth place.
On his show "Action with Walid," Al-Faraj asserted that Al-Rubaei earns around 400,000 SAR per month—over four million SAR per year—a figure he argued does not reflect the goalkeeper’s on-field abilities, calling it inflated compared to his level.
He rated the goalkeeper’s performance at 4 out of 10, stressing that his critique aims to offer a technical opinion rather than insult, even if it ruffles feathers among fans, the club, or the player himself.
He questioned the value of such spending within the club, pointing to other Roshen names who command massive salaries without delivering the expected impact on the pitch, raising questions about the club’s allocation and financial strategy.
The broadcaster concluded that money spent on players could buy whole provinces, insisting salaries should align with performance and the prestige of the club and its players.
Punchline 1: If payroll decided trophies, Al Hilal would already be touring the globe with a trophy belt made of receipts.
Punchline 2: In football, money can buy you a squad, but apparently not a single saved shot—the ball still finds the back of the net when it counts.
