On video: Saud Abdulhamid: I lost half my salary, I dream of the Premier League, and the truth about returning to Roshan
Saud Abdulhamid, the full-back of France's Lens and the Saudi national team, admitted that he lost more than half of the salary he used to earn in the Roshn League in order to pursue a professional career on European pitches over the past years.
Saud Abdulhamid swapped Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal for Roma in the summer of 2024, but he couldn't nail down a starting spot. That prompted his move to Lens, where he has been playing since 2025.
The difficulties of playing abroad
Abdulhamid told the "Fil Marma" programme on Saudi Arabia's "Al-Arabiya" channels: "It is natural for my salary to drop when I move to Europe, because they will not give me the same salary I was earning in the Roshn League."
He added: "I think I lost more than 50% of my salary, but I am comfortable with the situation I am in at the moment."
Asked why he struggled to prove himself at Roma, he said: "When I moved, the circumstances were not right, as I did not manage to get a chance, in addition to the language problem, as I did not know Italian, and there were only 3 players who spoke English well, and they were the ones who relayed the coach's instructions to me."
He continued: "The Saudi player was not known to them, so there was not much trust in me, but a big change happened after the move to Lens, because half of them are Muslims, Arabs and Moroccans, and this made me more comfortable, and I was the one who asked to leave Roma because of not getting a chance."
Returning to the Saudi league
The Saudi player insisted a return to the Roshn League never crossed his mind despite that rocky start, and it isn't on his radar now either.
He explained: "Perhaps I was sad because of not playing with Roma at the beginning, but I did not regret playing abroad, because I had dreamt of it. I do not like to regret what I have done, because I know what I am doing, and if I thought this way I would not do anything."
He added: "All I think about is that I made this decision and that I must see it through to the end, especially as the decision was comfortable for me despite the difficulties. I am just working on learning in order to complete what I started."
He went on: "I did not think about returning to the Saudi league despite all the difficulties, because I wanted to play in the UEFA Champions League, and when I went to Lens the dream came true, as we competed for the French league and finished in second place."
The dream of the English league
Having ticked off his first dream of Champions League football, Abdulhamid laid out what he wants next.
He explained: "There are many dreams I have not achieved yet, so I am not thinking about returning to the Roshn League until I have completed them, but I am happy with people's desire for my return, though I am focused on my work at the present time."
He concluded: "My ambition has no ceiling, to the point that you will think I am joking when I state it. I want people to remember my name after my career ends, and I also dream of playing in the English Premier League."
