Club World Cup Brings Portuguese Goalkeeper Rui Patricio to Al-Ain
New adventure in sight for Rui Patricio, who, after the Atalanta interlude, is preparing to don the gloves for a prestigious international competition. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the Portuguese goalkeeper has reportedly found an agreement with Al Ain, a club of the United Arab Emirates, for a short term engagement in view of the next FIFA Club World Cup. On Saturday, the team from the United Arab Emirates said that Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio will join Al-Ain on a short-term contract for the Club World Cup. "Al-Ain has signed Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio to participate with the team in the 2025 Club World Cup," the club said on X about the 37-year-old Portugal international who is joining them from Atalanta.
"Patricio will arrive to the United Arab Emirates tomorrow evening to undergo medical tests and join the first-team training," Al-Ain added. Patricio played 108 matches for Portugal, helping them win Euro 2016, and has had spells with Sporting Lisbon, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and AS Roma. The agreement, at the moment of a verbal nature, confirms the Middle Eastern club's desire to focus on a highly experienced goalkeeper to strengthen the squad for the tournament. Like Marcus Rashford recently joining the Barcelona FC, Rui Patricio, 37 years old, also represents a guarantee for his team in terms of solidity, charisma, and leadership. These are qualities that Al Ain considers fundamental in an international context such as that of the Club World Cup.
Al Ain, who won the AFC Champions League title in 2024, reached the final of the 2018 Club World Cup in front of their home fans. This year's revamped 32-team tournament will take place in the United States in June and July. Al-Ain has been drawn in Group G with Juventus, Manchester City, and Morocco's Wydad. FIFA opened an exceptional transfer window from June 1st to 10th to allow players to be signed for the tournament. On that note, recruiters spent no time scouting for new players in hopes of giving Al-Ain a better shot at success for the Club World Cup, and just their luck, as they found a golden ticket player.
