An Aston Villa youth product has gone from away days in Wales to facing superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo after sealing a shock move to Saudi Arabia.

Brad Young, initially with Villa from 2017 until his 2023 switch to Welsh club The New Saints (TNS), was recently acquired by Saudi Pro League team Al-Orobah for an estimated £190k.

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The transfer fee also broke the record for the highest fee received by a club in the Cymru Premier, the top league in Wales.

With the deal completed, Young’s teammates now consist of Kurt Zouma, Johan Berg Gudmundsson, Cristian Tello and Jean Michael Seri.

But had things turned out differently when Young was just 17, a professional football career may have never been on the cards.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee & Jacobs show, Young opened up on a devastating knife attack that left doctors unsure if he’d live.

“Back when I was 17, I was in a park and some kids tried to rob me,” Young said.

“I’ve mentioned before, I would just hand my belongings over. I got involved in an altercation, which escalated into a fight where I was stabbed from behind three times. One of these stabs struck an artery and was 12cm deep.

“I was rushed to the hospital afterward. Medical staff informed my family that my survival was uncertain. I underwent three blood transfusions. It was essentially a critical situation. The doctors warned me that I might not be able to play football again, and I could potentially need a medical bag for bodily functions.”

“Thankfully I’ve come out the good end. You’ve got to look positively through the whole experience.”

The incident has sparked a fresh outlook on life for Young, with the opportunity to play in Saudi Arabia against his childhood hero one he simply could not pass up.

“That’s the main reason that attracted me,” Young said.

“TNS just qualified for the Conference League but it’s the likes of Neymar, Ronaldo, Ronaldo was my idol growing up so it will be privilege to share the pitch with him.”

Such was the Solihull native’s keenness to join Al-Orobah, he signed his contract without having visited the country or knowing much about the club itself.

“I’ve been so busy the last couple of days trying to sort everything, so I’ve not really looked at the club as much,” Young said.

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Young, who flies out to Saudi Arabia on Friday, revealed the deal came about during TNS’ Europa Conference League qualifying fixture against Panevezys.

The 21-year-old started the first leg which TNS won 3-0 but was absent for the second leg to avoid being injured and jeopardising the deal.

TNS drew 0-0 in the second leg, which secured European qualification for the first time in the club’s history.

The move to Saudi Arabia represents a drastic change of scenery for the 21-year-old, who scored 29 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions for TNS in the 23-24 season.

To put the different sizes of the leagues into context, the largest capacity of any stadium in the Cymru Premier League is 5,000, a figure shared by Newtown and Aberystwyth Town’s respective home grounds.

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In comparison, the Saudi Pro League’s average attendance across the 23-24 season was 8,158, but the likes of Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr all averaged crowds of 17,800 and above.

In another example of just how substantial the change is, Young would have lined up against last-placed Briton Ferry on October 4.

But now that he’s sealed the move to Saudi Arabia, Young could come up against Ronaldo and Sadio Mane on October 5 when Al-Orobah take on Al-Nassr.

Surprisingly enough, it would not be the first time Young has lined up opposite Mane.

Young was named on the bench for Villa in their FA Cup third round encounter against Liverpool in 2021.

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The Midlands side was forced to trot out a team entirely made up of academy products after their first team was ravaged by COVID, while Liverpool sent out a near-full strength line-up.

Mane opened the scoring in the fourth minute and scored in the 63rd as Liverpool ran out 4-1 winners at Villa Park, with Young coming on in the 61st minute.

It was the only time Young featured for Villa’s first team, having scored 42 goals in 74 games for the club’s U18 and U21 teams.

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