Fans mock Steven Gerrard’s attempt at Arabic after he was filmed addressing Al Ettifaq’s fans

Steven Gerrard has been mocked on social media for his attempt at speaking Arabic after his new Saudi Arabian club, Al Ettifaq, released a video of him addressing the club’s supporters. 

The former Liverpool captain, 43, accepted a lucrative offer to take the reins at the Saudi on Monday with a view to challenging for the title next season.

Gerrard, who has been out of work since being sacked by Aston Villa in October 2022, has joined a growing list of high-profile figures to relocate to Saudi Arabia which includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Ruben Neves.

His appointment at Al Ettifaq came as a surprise given he turned them down last month after a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Speaking as a pundit for Channel 4, he said: ‘I was invited over there to look at a potential offer, I’ve been analysing that but where I stand right now I won’t be taking it on.’

Fans have taken to social media to mock Steven Gerrard’s attempt at Arabic after Al Ettifaq released a video of him addressing the club’s supporters

But Gerrard agreed to the role following a renewed round of talks with the Saudi club, who are committing millions towards player recruitment to help their new boss build a team of global superstars.

Upon his appointment, Al Ettifaq shared a video on their social media account of Gerrard addressing the fans in Arabic.

The Liverpool legend says: ‘I am Steven Gerrard. I am an Ettifaqi. See you soon.’

But fans across the world couldn’t help but mock Gerrard for his pronunciation, which drew comparison to Steve McClaren’s attempt at Dutch and Joey Barton’s French accent.

One fan wrote: ‘OMG what was that Pronunciation Stevie’, while another said: ‘Nah Saudi money pull is different for real!’. 

‘Scouser Arabic is killing me’, wrote one while another replied ‘First ever human being to speak Arabic in a Scouse accent.’ 

Others joked: ‘Stevie is doing his GCSE Arabic speaking exam’. While one football fan wrote: ‘Joey Barton vibes.’ 

Ettifaq believe they can compete with State-run clubs to challenge for the title next season. Among the players Ettifaq are considering making a play is Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

Jordan Henderson and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could also be two of Gerrard’s first targets.

The 33-year-old Liverpool captain has been at Anfield for 12 years and is still under contract until 2025, so it remains to be seen if he could be tempted by the riches on offer in the booming Saudi league even at this stage of his career.

Aubameyang is a year older at 34 and looking for a fresh start following a desperately disappointing season at Chelsea.

Aubameyang could become the latest Chelsea player to head to the Saudi league, following in the footsteps of N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy.

Gerrard initially turned down Al Ettifaq but was convinced during talks in London this week

He is expected to be given huge funds for players in order to compere with state-backed sides

Other Premier League stars have also been targeted with Manchester City duo Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva receiving huge offers to quadruple their salaries from Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal respectively.

David de Gea is reported to be attracting interest from Cristiano Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr given the uncertainty over his future at Manchester United. 

There has been speculation that Philippe Coutinho, another of Gerrard’s former Liverpool teammates who also played under the 43-year-old at Aston Villa, could link up with him again at Al-Ettifaq along with ex-Liverpool forward Sadio Mane.

However, it’s understood that Coutinho and Mane, now at Bayern Munich, are unlikely to move to Saudi this summer.