Moroccan central defender Jawad El Yamiq is set to leave Real Valladolid CF in Spain to move to the Saudi football league, Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo reported on Tuesday, quoting an official statement by Real Valladolid.
The Moroccan international has played 70 games and scored 3 goals with the recently relegated second-division league club since his arrival in the 2020–21 season, Estadio Deportivo recalled in its report.
El Yamiq was also one of the players that made history with the Atlas Lions during their latest participation in the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, where Morocco became the first African and Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious global tournament.
Jawad El Yamiq started his professional career in Botola, the top-tier Moroccan football league, where he played for Olympique Khouribga and Raja Casablanca.
The central defender gained recognition through his time at Italian club Genoa C.F.C., where he showcased his skills as a solid defender and piqued the interest of several other top-tier European clubs.
El Yamiq’s transfer to the Saudi Pro League comes as the league finds itself at the center of global attention for spending stupendous sums to seal the transfers of some of the most recognizable names in world football.
These include Neymar Jr with Al Hilal; Sadio Mane with Al Nassr; Benzema, N’golo Kante, and Fabinho with Al Ittihad; Jordan Henderson with Al Ettifaq; and Riyad Mahrez with Al-Ahli.
Some football fans are already speaking of the “Cristiano Ronaldo effect,” suggesting that all these latest eye-popping transfers have only been possible because of Ronaldo’s shocking transfer to the Saudi Pro League in the 2022-2023 season.
The idea is that Al-Nassr attracting Ronaldo, widely recognized as one of the best football players of all time, has made it easier for other Saudi clubs to attract other world-class players.
With all being set for his transfer to the in-vogue Saudi league, El Yamiq will be club teammates with his compatriot Munir Mohamedi, who delivered an outstanding performance when subbing for Yassine Bounou in Morocco’s game against Belgium at the Qatar World Cup.
