Tijjani Reijnders Shines in Roshn League for Al-Qadsiah

Tijjani Reijnders is wasting no time justifying his price tag in Saudi Arabia.

The Netherlands midfielder, signed by Al-Qadsiah in the summer for a reported 61 million euros from Manchester City, delivered his most decisive performance yet in the Roshn League on Tuesday night at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam.

He didn’t ease his way into the game. He grabbed it.

Fourteen minutes in, Reijnders collected the ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a fierce strike that flew beyond Al-Ahli goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. One touch, one opening, one ruthless finish. Al-Qadsiah had their lead and their record signing had his second goal for the club.

The tempo suited him, and he played as if the stage belonged to him.

As first-half stoppage time ticked away, Al-Qadsiah pushed again. Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat whipped in a cross and Reijnders timed his run perfectly, rising to meet it and steering a header home for his side’s third of the night. A thunderbolt, then a poacher’s header – two very different goals, one very clear message.

That brace moved him to three goals in Al-Qadsiah colours, all in the opening weeks of his Roshn League career. His first had arrived in the third round, a composed finish in a 2-0 win over Neom that underlined how quickly he had settled into Saudi football.

The contrast with his early days at Manchester City is already striking. In England, he needed four matches to find the net once, scoring against Wolverhampton on the Premier League’s opening weekend last season. In Dammam, he has already bettered that return, carrying the creative burden and adding a cutting edge.

Reijnders remains the most expensive signing in Al-Qadsiah’s history, a statement deal that raised eyebrows when it went through in the last transfer window. Performances like this turn curiosity into conviction.

If this is how he starts life in the Roshn League, the real question is how far he can push Al-Qadsiah by the time this season is done.