Matteo Dams leaves Al Ahli after 18 months to join Club Brugge

Al Ahli have announced that Belgium defender Matteo Dams is leaving the Saudi Pro League club to join Belgian side Club Brugge after a season and a half in Jeddah.

The 22-year-old left-back joined Al Ahli from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven and spent 18 months with the Saudi side. He made 38 appearances for Al Ahli during that period, providing three assists.

Dams departs having won two trophies with the club. He was part of the Al Ahli team that lifted the AFC Champions League Elite title in the 2025-26 season, as well as the 2025 Saudi Super Cup.

He has now signed a four-year contract with Club Brugge, bringing his time in Saudi Arabia to an end.

Al Ahli confirmed Dams’ departure as part of a summer squad reshaping that has also seen the club bring in Francisco Trincao from Sporting CP, Eduard Spertsyan from Russian club Krasnodar and Aboubacar Kinne from Norwegian side Tromsø.

The Saudi club began the new campaign with victory over Al-Diriyah in the opening round of the Saudi Pro League. They also reached the last 16 of the King’s Cup after defeating Al-Anwar.

Al Ahli are preparing to face Abha in their second Saudi Pro League fixture on Saturday.

Dams’ move marks a return to Belgium for a player who joined Al Ahli after developing in the Netherlands. His departure follows an 18-month spell in which he featured regularly enough to make 38 appearances, while contributing three goals through assists.

Although his time at the club was relatively short, it included the most successful honours available to Al Ahli during the period covered. The AFC Champions League Elite triumph in 2025-26 and the Saudi Super Cup won in 2025 form the central achievements of his spell.

Club Brugge have committed to Dams for the next four seasons, while Al Ahli’s recruitment of Trincao, Spertsyan and Kinne provides further evidence of movement within their squad. The club’s opening results have also given them a positive start domestically, with wins over Al-Diriyah in the league and Al-Anwar in the King’s Cup.

Their immediate focus is now the meeting with Abha, which will be Al Ahli’s second league match of the season. While Dams will no longer be involved, the club will continue its campaign with a reshaped squad following his move to Club Brugge.