Ellie Watkins broke down in tears after arriving in Saudi Arabia with her family following her husband Ollie Watkins’ £51 million move from Aston Villa to Al-Hilal.
The couple and their two young children landed in Riyadh on Saturday night, beginning a new chapter after the England striker ended a six-year spell at Villa Park.
In an emotional video, Ellie said: “We are in Riyadh, we arrived in Saudi last night and I think I’m still in shock, to be honest, like how life can change so quickly — but that is the joys of football.”
She also admitted that her “heart is hurting” as she reflected on leaving Birmingham, where the family had built a life during Watkins’ time with Aston Villa.
Sharing photographs of their years at the club, Ellie wrote that they had welcomed their children there, made lifelong friends and created a home she would “always be so grateful for”. She added that watching Watkins’ career develop had been “so special” and said she could not be prouder of what he had achieved.
Al-Hilal confirmed on Sunday that Watkins had signed a three-year contract. The 30-year-old forward leaves Aston Villa as the club’s record Premier League goalscorer, having scored 91 times in the competition.
His departure follows a successful spell in the West Midlands during which he helped Villa win the Europa League last season, their first European trophy in 44 years.
Watkins is expected to join his new team-mates in training in Riyadh as Al-Hilal prepare to face Al-Ahli on Tuesday. The striker said in a message to supporters that his six years at Aston Villa had come to an end, adding that Birmingham and the club would always be home.
