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The Gulf course

Abedi Pele had spells in the Gulf at the beginning and the end of his career © Getty Images

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After the news that Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan is making a shock loan move to the United Arab Emirates with Al-Ain, we look at how some of the other big-name players ended up plying their trade in the Gulf region.

Abedi Pele (Al-Sadd, 1982-83, and Al-Ain 1998-2000)

It did not take long for Abedi Pele to make his mark on football: at the age of 17, he helped Ghana to success at the 1982 African Nations Cup. Talk emerged that a new wonderkid had emerged, but these were different times, and his potential was only sufficient to secure a switch to Qatar with Al-Sadd.

While there, he helped the club to win the Emir of Qatar Cup, and impressed sufficiently to earn his first move to Europe with FC Zurich in 1983. After French side Chamois Niortais snapped him up in 1986, his stature grew and, in his second stint with Marseille in the early '90s, he was thrice named African Player of the Year as well as winning the Champions League.

On the back of that reputation, he was able to secure a more lucrative return to the Middle East in the twilight of his career when he signed for UAE side Al-Ain in 1998 on a reported $500,000-a-season deal.

Hristo Stoichkov (Al-Nasr, 1998)

Stoichkov had been a love-hate figure at Barcelona, sold to Parma in 1995 after a series of very public disagreements with boss Johan Cruyff but brought back when Bobby Robson took charge in 1996. His long association with the club eventually ended in March 1998 when, by mutual consent, his contract was terminated.

At the age of 32, and with the World Cup in France on the horizon, Stoichkov made a return to CSKA Sofia to maintain his form and fitness. However, when needed for the Bulgarian Cup final against Levski Sofia, Stoichkov instead decided to accept a reported $250,000 offer to play a couple of showpiece games for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nasr. CSKA lost the final 5-0. "I don't think he'll be feeling the least bit guilty about what has happened here," Bulgarian journalist Vassil Kolev told The Independent. "He's not that kind of man."

As it transpired, he was to have regrets over his two appearances for Al-Nasr, as he revealed in a 2004 interview: "I remember playing with Al-Nasr [in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup semi-final] and the prince of Saudi Arabia promised a latest model Mercedes to the first player who scores. I earned a penalty for my team by the fifth minute of play. One guy was getting ready to execute the penalty so I took the ball from his hands and told him, 'Go rest in the shade'. I struck the post and had to leave without the Mercedes."

The two-game spell was to end on a high - in the final, Stoichkov scored the only goal of the game against Suwon Samsung Bluewings - but the striker then endured a dismal World Cup before accepting a lucrative deal with Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol.

George Weah (Al-Jazira, 2001-03)

Weah, the first African to be named World Player of the Year, enjoyed a glittering five-year spell with AC Milan before ending his career with a series of abrupt moves.

In January 2000, he had a relatively successful loan spell with Chelsea ("AC Milan were very bad to me. When Chelsea asked for me to stay, Milan said no"); in August 2000, he joined Manchester City, where he picked up £750,000 for the sum total of ten weeks' work after falling out with manager Joe Royle ("I could have stayed at AC Milan but instead I sacrificed $2 million from them in order to come here - I didn't leave that for somebody to tell me to shut up and f**k off"); in October 2000, he signed for Marseille but by March had decided enough was enough ("I need to know about my future as soon as possible and that is why I have decided to quit the team at the end of the season").

So it was that Weah, in his mid-30s but still coveted by a number of teams in Europe's top leagues, decided to ply his trade with Al-Jazira. Asked by LoneStarSoccer whether he considered the transition from UK to UAE to be "a huge nosedive", he said: "I think what matters is I am very happy and people respect me. I have played in the best leagues in the world and played my part. I have no regret playing in this league."

Bebeto lasted just two months in Saudi Arabia before his contract was cancelled © Getty Images

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Bebeto (Al-Ittihad, 2002)

A World Cup winner with Brazil and one of the most feared strikers in the game in his prime, the latter years of Bebeto's career were distinctly less successful. In March 2001, at the age of 37, he was publicly rejected by the Scottish Premier League's bottom club, St Mirren, because he refused to go trial. "Everybody is looking to push a striker on to us, but we are not prepared to take just anyone," manager Tom Hendrie said.

At the end of August 2002, Bebeto had announced that he was set to join Brazilian side Vasco da Gama but, before the formalities were completed, he had a change of heart and accepted a $1.1 million one-year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad.

"I'm proud of this first experience in an Arab country. I'm expecting to have a successful experience with the club," Bebeto said, and he was to be met by thousands of fans at the airport amid blanket media coverage in the country.

Unsurprisingly, the 38-year-old could not live up to expectations, and he scored once in his five appearances before being released that November, receiving $525,000 for his efforts.

Romario (Al-Sadd, 2003)

Of the many examples of Gulf clubs' cavalier spending, the $1.5 million Al-Sadd spent on a three-month loan deal for 36-year-old Romario surely ranks as the most flagrant.

The Qatari club had signed him in the belief that he could aid their Asian Champions League bid but soon learned that, under competition rules, he would be ineligible due to the timing of his arrival. That loss of game time did not sit well with Romario, who appeared to view the need to top up his bank balance as secondary to his desire to take his 861 career goals to a landmark 1,000.

He made his debut in a Qatar League match against Al-Rayyan at the end of February 2003, but his traditional method of adding to his goal tally - standing steadfastly in front of goal - failed to pay dividends. With two markers blocking him, he did not touch the ball in the opening ten minutes and, according to the Gulf Times report, the midfielders "ignored Romario even as their coach Luka Peruzovic screamed himself hoarse that the passes be threaded to the new striker".

The coach subsequently attempted to encourage Romario to come deep in search of the ball, but the suggestion merely offended the striker and he ended his time in the Middle East without a goal in his three appearances.

"If I'd known it was going to be so bad, I wouldn't have gone," he said. "My problem was the coach - everything else was perfect. Professionally, it was not a positive season. I lost sight of my target, which is to get to the 1,000 goals mark."

Gabriel Batistuta (Al-Arabi, 2003-05)

Batistuta achieved legendary status in his nine years with Fiorentina before moving on to Roma in 2000, at the age of 31, for $33.6 million. In 2002, though, his star faded - most prominently during Argentina's disastrous 2002 World Cup campaign - and, after a loan spell at Inter, he was looking for new employment when his contract expired in the summer of 2003.

He was said to be keen on a move to the Premier League, but Chelsea chairman Ken Bates said he turned him down on the grounds that the Blues had "stopped signing pensioners" and, with few other offers coming his way at the age of 34, Batistuta accepted a move to Qatar. He claimed upon joining Al-Arabi that he had always dreamed of playing in the Middle East, but the $8 million contract across two years in addition to the permanent use of a chauffeured Rolls Royce may have been more persuasive.

Even so, he was one of the more successful Gulf imports, leading the scoring charts with 25 goals in his first season and, while injury problems forced his retirement early in his second year, he has retained a link with the country, acting as an ambassador for Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid.

Pep Guardiola shakes hands with Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Thani after signing for Al-Ahli © Getty Images

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Pep Guardiola (Al-Ahli, 2003-05)

Following the foundation of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy in 1979, Guardiola was the first true great to emerge. Having joined in 1984, he would spend the best part of two decades with the club and, after making his debut in 1990, won six league titles, two Copas del Rey and, of course, the European Cup in 1992.

In 2001, though, the legendary captain - beset by injuries and with the club in the midst of a transitional period - decided not to renew his contract. "I want to leave so that I can find out if Barcelona really is more than just a club," he said prior to completing a move to Brescia.

His time in Italy began badly: he twice tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in his first couple of months and was issued with a four-month ban, although he was able to clear his name some years later. He moved on to Roma, where he made just four appearances, before helping steer Brescia clear of relegation when he rejoined the club in the winter of 2003.

That summer, at the age of 32, he was approached about a return to Barcelona in a coaching capacity but, reluctant to be fast-tracked to the top job at the Camp Nou, decided to take up an opportunity to play in Qatar. He accepted a deal with Al-Ahli said to be worth in excess of €2 million a season.

He proved an instant success at the club - winning the best foreign newcomer award - and spent two years in the Middle East before pursuing his coaching career. "I always had great things to remember about this club," he said on a return visit in 2009, and the link with Qatar has remained. He was an ambassador for the emirate's 2022 World Cup bid, while the Qatar Foundation became Barcelona's first paid shirt sponsor, and there have been rumours that he could take charge of the national team when his latest contract expires.

Frank and Ronald de Boer (Al-Rayyan and Al-Shamal, 2004-2008)

Twin brothers Frank and Ronald spent a tremendous amount of their club careers playing alongside one another during stints with Ajax, Barcelona and Rangers so, when they decided to leave Ibrox in 2004, it was little surprise when Frank followed Ronald to Al-Rayyan in Qatar.

The club, owned by the Qatari Royal Family, also featured Sonny Anderson in the 2004-05 season but, despite their star names, they finished a distant second to Al-Gharafa in the league. The pair moved on to Al-Shamal after just one season and, though Frank retired in April 2006, Ronald continued for a further two years. The club persistently battled relegation and, in his final season, succumbed to the drop.

Ronald once acknowledged that Qatar is "a graveyard of European footballers at the end of their careers", but he chose to remain in the emirate following his retirement and has repeatedly defended both its football and its lifestyle. "These questions are almost irritating," he told the Daily Telegraph in December last year. "If people think you can't drink, it's ridiculous. People think my wife has to walk around with her face covered by an abaya, but she can wear a mini-skirt if she wants to."

Denilson (Al-Nasr, 2006-07)

After impressing with Brazil at the Tournoi de France in 1997, Denilson had announced that he was to sign an 11-year contract with Real Betis featuring a £265-million buyout clause, and a year later, after the 1998 World Cup, he completed his world record £21.5 million move from Sao Paulo. From the very start of his career in Spain, he proved a disappointment and, two years after his arrival, Betis - relegated from the top-flight - were desperately attempting to offload him in a cut-price deal.

He returned to his homeland with Flamengo on a season-long loan for the 2000-01 season, but it was not until 2005, with Denilson having reached the age of 28, that he was permanently offloaded to Bordeaux. He agreed a one-year deal in France and eventually began to recover his form, but his wage demands meant he had to look east for his next destination. "I wanted to stay, to play in the Champions League, but I don't feel like the club has made a big effort to keep me," he told footmercato. "I don't feel valued, but I'm aware of the club's financial limits."

He subsequently took up a $1 million offer to spend the 2006-07 season at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nasr but, when that contract was up, amid reports of financial problems, he departed for FC Dallas.

He later returned to Asia during a brief spell with Vietnamese side Hai Phong Cement.

Mauro Zarate's stint in Qatar was shortlived © Getty Images

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Mauro Zarate (Al-Sadd, 2007)

Zarate had made an early impact with Velez Sarsfield. As a teenager, he had finished joint-top scorer in the Argentinean Apertura in 2006 but, despite the hype, he agreed to join Qatari club Al-Sadd in 2007 at the age of just 20.

Al-Sadd were coming off the back of a Quadruple, but even the forward's agent said the move was "not ideal in footballing terms". Zarate, though claiming to have 'good knowledge about the Qatar League' upon his arrival, took an instant dislike to his new surroundings and, after just six games, moved to Birmingham City on loan.

Asked how long it took for him to realise he didn't want to be at Al-Sadd, he told the Birmingham official website: "Just a week. It was a bit of a culture shock."

After Birmingham's relegation, Zarate went out on loan to Lazio before eventually making his escape to Italy permanent.

Fabio Cannavaro (Al-Ahli, 2010-11)

Named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2006 after his performances for Italy in the World Cup, Cannavaro's career soon began to decline at club level. He left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2009 but, after another disappointing campaign, he failed to find high-profile suitors and packed his bags for the Middle East.

"It's not an economic choice, but a family one," he said after joining Dubai-based Al-Ahli in June 2010. "I have achieved my dream by moving to Dubai and playing for one of its big clubs like Al-Ahli."

He enjoyed his time at the club - "Football seems to be a pressure-free activity," he said in January - but Al-Ahli finished eighth in a 12-team league. At the end of the season, he was forced to retire through injury, taking on the role of Al-Ahli's global brand ambassador and technical consultant.

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