Brendan Rodgers has immersed himself in Saudi Arabian culture, donning traditional dress while posing with a rifle, as the country celebrated a national holiday.
The former Liverpool manager was appointed as manager of Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah in December, after leaving Celtic two months prior.
Rodgers, 53, has got off to the perfect start in the dugout at Al Qadsiah, overseeing a 13-match unbeaten run since arriving in the Middle East.
And now he seems to be settling into Saudi life off the pitch soon, as he has taken part in a celebratory video for Founding Day, a holiday that commemorates the establishment of the first Saudi State.
In the video, ‘Sheikh Brendan’ could be seen posing in Saudi dress to honour the holiday, while he also held a gun.
In the video, he said: ‘I want to give my sincere congratulations to all of the people of Saudi Arabia, Saudi has a real rich heritage and a really exciting future ahead.’
Al Qadsiah boss Brendan Rodgers smiled as he posed in traditional Saudi dress for Founding Day
Many social media users who came across the video on Al Qadsiah’s X account compared it to that of AI, despite the clip being 100 per cent authentic.
‘This looks like AI, but isn’t,’ one user wrote in the comments, while another replied that they ‘just assumed it was AI’ and that Rodgers is ‘the gift that keeps on giving’.
Al Qadsiah, who are owned by oil company Aramco, only gained promotion to the top tier last season but have already beaten the likes of Al Nassr and Al Ittihad this campaign.
They boast stars such as Italy striker Mateo Retegui, former Porto midfielder Otavio, and Belgian international stopper Koen Casteels, and are set to move to a new stadium next season.
Rodgers revealed he turned down a move to Saudi Arabia before returning to Celtic for a second spell in 2023.
‘I spoke to a few clubs once I’d left Leicester, I spoke to a team in Saudi, but it just didn’t feel right,’ Rodgers said at the time.
‘If I wanted to stay in the Premier League, I could’ve stayed in the Premier League, but Celtic is Celtic.’
His return to Parkhead, however, ended in controversy after he had been critical of recruitment and the level of investment in this summer’s transfer window.
The former Liverpool boss could also be seen posing with a rifle during the video which fans are so bewildered by the think it ‘looks like AI’
The 53-year-old took charge in the Saudi Pro League after leaving Celtic in October
Celtic spent £13.3million on signings – around half of what they earned from selling key players – and the club were toiling both domestically and in Europe, crashing out of the Champions League play-off to Kairat Almaty.
Rodgers had also become embroiled in a battle with officials at the club, accusing one of them of a ‘cowardly’ act when it was claimed that Celtic had been briefing against him in the media.
He resigned from the Glaswegian giants following a defeat to Hearts, and left the club under a cloud.
