For many years, the best footballers in the game have tended to look for one last big payday as their careers draw to a close. In recent times, Major League Soccer in America has been a big draw, while China has also been a popular destination. Both of those countries have been able to deliver high salaries and signing on fees as the players look to cash in. From this point onwards, those leagues have a serious rival.
Destination Saudi Arabia
The transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United to Al Nassr in early 2023, started a brand-new trend for his contemporaries. Suddenly, there was great interest in moving to Saudi Arabia, as an alternative to China and the USA.
The Saudi Pro League (SPL) has been in place since 1976 but had attracted little attention prior to Ronaldo’s departure. Since that deal, more big names have followed CR7 to Saudi Arabia. Many are at the ends of their careers, while others would have enjoyed a few more years in top leagues around Europe.
The SPL now carries more importance among football fans. Favourite players have travelled to Saudi, and their performances will continue to be monitored moving forward. Others have taken interest too, with football betting markets increasing exponentially since Ronaldo switched to the Saudi Pro League.
Saudi football is suddenly in the spotlight, but will the country change the face of the sport?
Following the Trend
A number of players who featured in the English Premier League last season, are now competing in the SPL. Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson had been teammates at Liverpool for many years, but are now playing at Al Ahli and Al Ettifaq, respectively. Other players to have switched from the Premier League to the SPL include N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Alex Telles, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin.
Saudi teams have also acquired players from other leagues around Europe. Some of the bigger names involved include Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Franck Kessie.
When transfer windows are open around Europe, Saudi teams will continue to scour clubs for more talent. Ronaldo and others have simply laid out a path for many more deals to come.
Why the Interest?
There is an obvious attraction to playing football in Saudi Arabia. While players may speak about growing the global game, the truth is that money talks. Al Nassr and other top teams in the SPL can afford to pay huge transfer fees, and they can pay the kind of salaries that will set players and their families up for life.
It is reported that Cristiano Ronaldo is earning around $213 million USD in Saudi Arabia, although a significant proportion of that money is attained through image rights. For Jordan Henderson, there are conflicting stories from the media, but one suggestion is that his weekly salary comes in at £350,000.
These are all considerable sums that other clubs around the world would struggle to match. There may be other reasons why players are choosing to perform in Saudi Arabia, but it’s clear that money is a big driver.
Can Saudi Arabia Change Football?
Saudi Arabia has made its mark on the football world in other ways. At Newcastle United, a change of ownership back in 2022 saw the country invest in one of the world’s most historic football clubs. Away from Newcastle, there are many soccer clubs owned by Gulf states. In terms of Saudi Arabia specifically, the list includes Sheffield United who also compete in the English Premier League.
Further expansion would help Saudi Arabia to dominate the football landscape. In the near future, we might expect more teams across Europe to be subject to takeovers by Saudi concerns.
As for the Saudi Pro League, little will change unless the clubs can attract players who are at the height of their careers. With one or two exceptions, those who switched from European Leagues to the SPL are nearing the end of the line.
Meanwhile, interest in younger players such as Kylian Mbappe and Son Heung-Min came to nothing, and the men involved stayed with their current employers. There was even a brief suggestion that a Saudi team was interested in signing Harry Kane, before the Spurs striker joined Bayern Munich.
Players such as Son and Mbappe clearly feel that the Saudi Pro League is uncompetitive right now, and they will be tested more in European domestic football.
While some of the overseas players performing in the SPL could still make a contribution to the bigger leagues, the majority are reaching the ends of their careers. Saudi Arabia can still change the face of football but, until they can land a Kylian Mbappe or a Harry Kane, the wider sporting world will not pay too much attention.
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