Credit: Instagram
Odion Ighalo, a former Manchester United forward and a Nigerian international has given a glimpse of the luxurious life that awaits footballers who join Saudi Arabian clubs. The 34-year-old striker, posted a video on his Instagram account showing off the £173 million gold-covered plane that the team used to travel to away matches.
The plane, which is owned by billionaire supporter Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is a Boeing 747-400 that has been customized with extravagant features. The plane originally had 400 passenger seats, but they were replaced with a dining room, a lounge area, a throne chair, and other lavish items with the cockpit and most of the interior decorated with 99% gold. The jet is also the fifth most expensive aircraft in the world as it's narrowly cheaper by $13m than the one owned by the Sultan of Brunei but beats out Roman Abramovich’s $170m (£133.5m) jet which ranks sixth.
Ighalo, who scored 21 goals for Al Hilal last season, was amazed by the plane and mouthed 'wow' as he walked around it. He also posed for photos with his teammates on the throne chair and in the cockpit and captioned the video, "Throwback Thursday, some good memories."
The center-forward joined Al Hilal in 2021 after spending a year on loan at Manchester United from Shanghai Shenhua. He became a fan favorite at Old Trafford after scoring five goals in 23 appearances for the Red Devils. However, the Nigerian footballer will not be on the plane next season after leaving the Saudi Pro League club at the end of his contract.
Ighalo is not the only player who has enjoyed the luxury of playing in Saudi Arabia as Saudi Arabian Clubs have signed many marquee players from Europe this summer like Balon D’or winner Karim Benzema, Champions League winner N’Golo Kante and Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a lucrative destination for footballers who are looking for high salaries and a comfortable end to their playing career at the top.
