Liverpool hero Steven Gerrard caught up in BIZARRE Saudi club social media spat

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has been caught in the middle of a bizarre social media spat involving his current club Al-Ettifaq and their local rivals Al-Qadsiah. 

Both sides are based in Saudi Arabia’s eastern Greater Dammam area, with Al-Qadsiah recently celebrating their promotion to the Saudi Pro League as champions of the second division. 

The team is backed by Saudi Aramco - the Saudi Arabian Oil Group - which is worth an estimated $2 TRILLION. 

Formerly managed by Liverpool goalscoring hero Robbie Fowler, Al-Qadsiah are reported to have made an ambitious bid for the Reds’ current captain Virgil van Dijk ahead of their return to the top flight.

Upon securing promotion, Al-Ettifaq sent a cheeky tweet to their local rivals, welcoming them back to the Saudi Pro League ‘for the sixth time’. 

It was a dig at Al-Qadsiah’s status as a Saudi yo-yo team, although since being transformed into a big-money company by the Saudi Ministry of Sports back in 2023 along with some of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs, that status will now surely come under threat. 

Al-Qadsiah shot back with a personal barb at Gerrard, the Al-Ettifaq manager since last summer, posting an edited clip of the former Reds captain’s slip during a Premier League match against Chelsea back in 2014, which allowed Demba Ba to race clear and score. 

It was captioned: ‘Sometimes the spotlight is slippery’. 

Gerrard signs big-money deal

Gerrard recently signed a wallet-busting contract extension with Al-Ettifaq and his terms now extend until 2027 with a reported annual salary of £15 million. 

The Liverpool links don’t end there with Gini Wijnaldum acting as club captain following the departure in the January transfer window of another former Liverpool skipper in Jordan Henderson. 

Gerrard is also reported to be in the hunt for Liverpool's outgoing goalkeeping coach, John Achterberg.

Despite the lavish spending, it’s been an average season for Gerrard and Al-Ettifaq; they are marooned in mid-table, a long way off the qualification places for continental competitions.