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Wesley Sneijder to join Al Gharafa in Qatari league

Wesley Sneijder has joined Nice
Image: Wesley Sneijder is set to join the Qatar Stars League

Wesley Sneijder is to sign for mid-table Qatari league side Al Gharafa, the club announced on Friday.

A statement on the team's official social media said a deal was in place for the 33-year-old, who most recently played in France's Ligue 1 with Nice.

"Breaking: We are delighted to announce that @sneijder101010 will join Al Gharafa Sports Club," read a statement from Al Gharafa on Twitter.

Sneijder is the Netherlands most-capped player with 133 appearances and his signing is something of a coup for the Qatari league and Al Gharafa, who sit in mid-table with just 11 points from 11 games.

The midfielder won the Champions League and Serie A with Inter, and won La Liga with Real Madrid. He was also part of the Netherlands team which lost to Spain in the 2010 World Cup Final.

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The league's best known player is former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who plays for Al Sadd but is likely to retire at the end of the season.

"It's great news for the Qatar Stars League," Xavi said. "He's a really good player."

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Other big names to have played in Qatar include Raul and Pep Guardiola.

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