Merih Demiral on Al-Ahli, Ronaldo’s Advice, His Future & the Rise of Saudi Football

From playing at the highest levels of European football to becoming an Asian champion with Al-Ahli, Turkish international Merih Demiral joins The Mo Show for an honest conversation about his journey, sacrifices, setbacks, and life in Saudi Arabia. Demi opens up about his friendship with Cristiano Ronaldo, overcoming injuries, losing his mother at a young age, and the winning mentality that helped Al-Ahli conquer Asia. We also discuss his special bond with Al-Ahli fans, the rise of Saudi football, his ambitions with Türkiye, and his dream of retiring at Al-Ahli. A personal conversation about football, loyalty, resilience, and what it truly means to represent Al-Ahli at club level and Türkiye on the international stage. 0:00 Intro 2:32 Saudi Arabia Feels Like Home 5:55 First Impressions of Al-Ahli 8:13 His Connection With Al-Ahli Fans 11:45 Overcoming Injury to Win the AFC Champions League 14:45 Winning Back-to-Back Asian Titles 17:09 Overcoming a Difficult First Season at Al-Ahli 21:09 The Pain of Losing the Intercontinental Cup 23:14 Matthias Jaissle’s Departure From Al-Ahli 25:18 Al-Ahli’s Team DNA 26:23 His Partnership With Roger Ibañez 28:13 The Development of Saudi Players 31:46 What Makes Al-Ahli Fans Different 35:25 Can the Saudi Pro League Become a Top Five League? 39:57 From Türkiye to European Football 40:44 Losing His Mother at 14 and Finding Motivation 43:10 Cristiano Ronaldo’s Advice About Saudi Arabia 46:30 His Dream of Representing Türkiye 49:32 Life Away From Football 51:14 His Dream of Retiring at Al-Ahli 52:10 Winning the Saudi Pro League and Future Ambitions Merih Demiral Instagram https://bit.ly/4kAu4lG X https://bit.ly/4iz2h2u Presented by BSF Instagram https://bit.ly/47Xvqjv X https://bit.ly/4vkYICN LinkedIn https://bit.ly/4c7Csoo Website https://bit.ly/4tBULI0 Learn more about the Almosafer Visa Infinite Card: https://bit.ly/4izEjnT⁠ *Terms and conditions apply. Noon Instagram https://bit.ly/3XRScUY Website https://bit.ly/44lnA1S Download the App https://bit.ly/48Am90x Almosafer Instagram https://bit.ly/4xOCwkx X https://bit.ly/4xZo0ah Website https://bit.ly/3TcXZFo App Download https://bit.ly/4Amy4vO Brew 92 Instagram http://bit.ly/3VN6MeI LinkedIn https://bit.ly/42kN65E Website https://bit.ly/4grbAjK IWC Instagram https://bit.ly/44dxbFW Website https://bit.ly/43K8JMk Lexus Instagram https://bit.ly/4tRXzS6 X https://bit.ly/4cDZ4gI Website https://bit.ly/4kTlTz6 The Mo Show Youtube https://bit.ly/3nDwsZv Apple Podcast https://apple.co/3J9ScX4 Spotify https://spoti.fi/33dzsC2 Anghami https://bit.ly/3mRo1uy Instagram https://bit.ly/2KAwq5v X https://bit.ly/3KanEnJ TikTok https://bit.ly/43L92po LinkedIn https://bit.ly/3NkxZoe Snapchat https://bit.ly/3NM3LKQ Website https://bit.ly/3H2DhMM Email info@themopodcast.com