After a 20-year stay at Blackburn Rovers, Academy graduate John Buckley departed the club in August to embark on a new chapter in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Kholood.
“I had a couple of options, and I wanted to make sure I made the right choice,” Buckley told LFE. “They didn’t rush me, but then I had a call with the CEO and the director here at Al-Kholood, and everything moved pretty quickly. It was all done within about a week to ten days.”
“It was a really difficult decision. I know a lot of people there, and it’s all I’d ever known, really — Blackburn has been a massive part of my life. It was a big decision, and it took a while for me to get my head around it, to be honest, but I needed a change in my career and to experience something different. I didn’t want to regret not taking the chance further down the line, and it just felt like the right time.”
Speaking to LFE via a video call from the balcony of his hotel room in the city of Ar Rass, 250 miles northwest of the country’s capital, Riyadh, Manchester-born Buckley detailed the significant transition of moving from the UK to the Middle East. “It was tough right at the very start, but I’m getting used to it. It’s a huge lifestyle and culture change — and it’s kind of like the unknown for me — but everyone has been really welcoming: the owner of the club, the staff, the players, and the people of Saudi Arabia too.”
“People live completely differently out here compared to back home. Because it’s so hot during the day, most people wake up in the afternoon and their day begins then. You see people drinking coffee at like 1 a.m., which would never happen back home!
“In England, most of your work as a footballer is done in the mornings, whereas here we don’t train until seven or eight o’clock in the evening. So, I’m still full of energy after I finish training, and it takes me a long time to wind down when I’m back home. I’ve been going to sleep at around midnight and waking up around 10 a.m., and even then, the day doesn’t really get going until about four o’clock when we head to the training ground. It’s taken some adapting to.”
Buckley’s period of adaptation was made easier when he scored on his debut away from home against one of the league’s stronger sides, Al-Ettifaq. “Scoring in my first game made me settle a little easier,” he affirms. “The heat where we were playing was crazy, though. It was in Dammam, which is like the most humid place in Saudi Arabia. I was warming up, and I was instantly just dripping in sweat. I remember looking up at the clock once the game had started — it said we’d only played eight minutes, and I just thought: ‘Impossible!’
“However, once I scored and got myself into the game, the second half was a lot easier as I was adapting to the conditions. It was a really good first experience, and we played really well despite losing in the end — especially given it was the first time a lot of us had played together.”
The start to Al-Kholood’s Saudi Pro League campaign didn’t get any easier in matchday two as they travelled to Al-Nassr, whose starting lineup included the likes of Sadio Mané, Kingsley Coman, Marcelo Brozović, João Félix, and one of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo. “I was in the tunnel before the game, and it was a little bit surreal standing next to him (Ronaldo). I’m a Manchester United fan too, so it was a really good experience playing against him, and I really enjoyed the game. Again, despite the result, we played pretty well.”
While on the topic of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Buckley credited the impact Ronaldo has made in Saudi Arabia and believes he opened the door for players like himself to follow in his footsteps. “If he’d never come out here to play, then none of us would’ve eventually come out here too. He’s had a big influence and changed a lot of things here and has made it accessible for players like me. I’m glad I’ve made the decision to come out here.”
“Honestly, I don’t know if it’s just because my first two games have been against good sides like Ettifaq and Al-Nassr, but the standard is really good,” Buckley says when asked about the difference he’s felt between football in the UK and in Saudi. “You have to be completely switched on every game. Just look at some of the household names that are out here. Clubs are spending a lot of money to bring good players to the league. Obviously, the weather plays a huge role physically as well.”
Football in Saudi Arabia has developed tenfold in recent years, and the sport’s popularity is growing year on year — something the former Rovers apprentice has already noticed. “The facilities are great; they seem to be doing everything one hundred percent here. All the pitches, training grounds, and technology within the stadiums are great. There is VAR here as well, which is different to when I played in the Championship.”
Buckley’s journey in Saudi Arabia has only just begun, and he’s still very much in the midst of a massive period of change. But the versatile midfielder is cherishing his adventure in the Middle East. “It’s a huge life experience in itself. If I wasn’t a footballer, I would never have thought of doing anything like this, so I’m thankful that I can experience different places and cultures. I feel like I’ve joined the league at a good time, and it’s only heading in one direction.”
