Ramzi poses with some newly acquired bling.
Still wondering why Ramzi Saleh chose to sign for Al-Merreikh over the more reputable Ismaily, Zamalek, Ittihad Alexandria, and Al-Hilal Riyadh? Well, according to Emirati newspaper Al-Ittihad, Al-Merreikh approached Ramzi with an irresistible offer to make him the richest Palestinian footballer of all time. According to the Emirati outlet, Ramzi Saleh will be paid a cool $1 million (USD) over two seasons.
I will say this, it could not have happened to a nicer person. It is tempting to say he chased the money, but remember that Palestinian players are not like their European counterparts. These aren’t players that are making astronomical figures. The salaries of our professional players would make them solidly middle class and after a contract runs up there are no lucrative sponsorships or television gigs waiting in the wings. So I fully support this move, and seeing as how he will be playing continental football this year, he will get noticed.
In almost every single interview conducted with his fellow teammates there is nothing but kind words for Ramzi. They speak about his openness and his friendly nature and he gets along with every single guy no matter where he grew up. He’s the perfect captain and he’s a hell of a goalkeeper, here’s hoping that he gets an offer to play in Europe very soon.
