From Saudi Arabia to Club Brugge: Matteo Dams returns to Belgium

“Matteo Dams is a Bruges Boy”. The 22‑year‑old Antwerpenaar leaves Saoedi‑Arabië after roughly one and a half years and signs a contract with Club Brugge until 2030, bringing his story back to België.

Saudi Arabia salary surge

In January 2025 Dams moved from PSV to Al‑Ahli, a transfer reported by Dutch sources as a “much‑talked‑about” switch. His monthly wage jumped from €2,500 to €250,000, a rise he described as “laughing” when he first saw the figure. Emma Van AvermaetSportjournalist at HLN22 recorded his reaction after a call from Jorik, edited by Benoit.

He recalled the call: “I thought it was a joke at first, then I saw what I could earn and I just started laughing.” The offer was so compelling that Dams turned his phone off for a few days, fearing criticism that he had “sold out in the desert”.

Despite the financial windfall, Dams said the experience taught him that “the future cannot be predicted”. He left the Saudi league with a “hallucinante loon” but with a clear view of his next step.

Return to Belgium as a Bruges Boy

Since Saturday, Dams is officially a Bruges Boy, having signed a deal that runs to 2030 with the Belgian champions. He arrives as a replacement for Bjorn Meijer, who departed for Sampdoria, and as a backup for Joaquin Seys, who despite interest from Manchester United, stays at Club Brugge.

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The club sees Dams as an intelligent left‑back, a role he first embraced at PSV. At 20, in 2024, he broke into the first team and later featured in the Champions League, notably holding his own against PSG.

Dams began his career at Antwerp before moving at eight years old to PSV’s renowned youth academy. He spent five years there, emerging as a steady defensive rock rather than a headline star.

Off the pitch, Dams kept his feet on the ground: he cycled to training and chose to stay with his host family in Eindhoven rather than find his own flat. This modest routine contrasts sharply with his multimillion‑euro salary in Saudi Arabia.

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Now back in Belgium for the first time in fourteen years, Dams faces a new audience and a different set of expectations. The contrast between his lucrative Saudi stint and his grounded return to Club Brugge highlights a player who values both ambition and humility.