Centre forward Lima has admitted he could not turn down the enormous financial package on offer to wind down his career at Al Ahli and leave Benfica.
Lima, 32, agreed a reported 7 million euro (Dh28.4m) move to the dethroned Arabian Gulf League champions last Friday. This saw him end a successful three-year spell at Aguias, including two Portuguese Primeira Liga titles and 70 goals in 144 appearances in all competitions.
“I feel awkward at having to say goodbye,” he told BTV.
“I feel a certain sadness, because they were great times which I lived in Benfica – but that’s life. This proposal appeared and it happened super fast.
“I think most of the fans will understand – the financial side weighed heavily. I will not be hypocritical. I’m 32 – I’m no boy – and with it being a short career, I had to take it. “In addition, Dubai is a good place to live.
“I will be professional and dedicate myself as I dedicated myself to Benfica.”
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Lima will be expected to provide a cure to his new club’s longterm struggles in front of goal. An awful title defence saw a return of 35 strikes in the 2014/15 AGL drop them down to a distant seventh place.
Meanwhile, Ahli’s pre-season injury crisis has continued after key full-back Abdelaziz Sanqour was ruled out for up to a month.
Sanqour, 26, has grown into a starter for both the UAE and Red Knights since his move from Sharjah three years ago. But he now faces a disrupted start to the 2015/16 season after he ruptured his posterior knee ligament in last Friday’s 2-2 friendly draw against Internazionale Under-20s.
Sanqour is in a race against time to be declared fit for the AFC Champions League quarter-final against Naft Tehran, the first leg to be played in Iran on August 26. This is the second problem picked up by Cosmin Olaroiu’s team during their ongoing training camp in Italy, fellow defender Essa Santo set to undergo surgery imminently on a serious knee injury.
