How stars are shaping oil-rich Saudi into football hub

Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr FC earning a reported $200 million annually. This made him the highest-paid soccer player…

Since the opening of the summer transfer window in Europe on Wednesday, June 14, there have been a growing number of football stars moving to the Saudi Arabian Pro League.

The Saudi Pro League is one of the fastest-growing competitions in world football and its vast wealth and recruitment have been the dominant story of this summer’s transfer window so far.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to make the move after his less impressive second coming at Old Trafford. The oil-rich country was able to lure the five-time Ballon d’Or winner on a two-year contract in January.

Ronaldo signed for the Kingdom’s Al Nassr FC earning a reported $200 million annually. This made him the highest-paid soccer player in the world.

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The 37-year-old’s signing with Al Nassr was soon followed by an increase in Instagram followers of over 5.3 million for the team.

The sudden increase in traffic forced its official website to become inaccessible after reaching its bandwidth cap.

The hashtag #HalaRonaldo, which means “Hello, Ronaldo” in Arabic, trended on Twitter throughout the Middle East for days.

Ronaldo claimed he left Europe because there were no other competitions left for him to win. However, many onlookers feel the money on offer in Saudi Arabia was one of the motivations for a star player like Ronaldo.

He scored 14 goals in 16 games but it was not enough to help his side win the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title, with Al Nassr finishing second behind Al Ittihad.

Ronaldo conceded he did not expect to finish the season empty-handed at Al Nassr but the Portuguese forward said he is happy in Saudi Arabia and hoped other big-name players will follow him to the league for the next campaign.

A few weeks on, the Saudi Arabian football league is now attracting more football stars to the Gulf country.

Several other top players have been linked with a move to the Saudi league, with Lionel Messi receiving a formal offer to join Al-Hilal next season.

However, it was Ronaldo’s former teammate and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema that would lead a contingent of stars to the oil-rich country.

Benzema got Saudi Arabia’s summer business underway after agreeing to a move to Asian champions Al Ittihad, thus ending his 14-year stay in the Spanish capital.

Al Ittihad continued to revamp their team with the addition of two-time Premier League winner N’Golo Kante.

The former World Cup-winning midfielder has signed a four-year contract with the club and leaves Stamford Bridge after an incredible seven-year career with Chelsea.

Al Hilal continued to improve their team with the signing of former African Cup of Nations winner Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea.

The Senegalese defender rose to prominence during a successful spell with Napoli, but he struggled for form in his one and only season at Chelsea as the club dropped to the bottom half of the table.

Chelsea are the greatest casualty of Saudi Arabia’s raid on the Premier League with the signing of Edouard Mendy, who joined Al-Ahli

Mendy won UEFA Men’s Best Goalkeeper award in 2021 after his Champions League triumph, but he slipped down the pecking order after a loss of form last season.

Saudi Arabia was building a reputation for signing players at the twilight of their careers. However, that image changed with the signing of Wolves midfielder and captain Ruben Neves.

Al Hilal bought the Portuguese international for a club-record fee of £47 million and he signed for Asia’s most successful club on a three-year deal.

Next was Marcelo Brozovic who agreed to join Ronaldo at Al Nassr next season.

The Croatian midfielder enjoyed an eight-year spell at Inter Milan and lifted the Scudetto in 2021.

He played his last game for the club in the Champions League final loss to Man City, becoming the first ever Croatian to captain a team in the final.

Portuguese winger Jota was one of the Celtic’s stand-out players during their treble-winning season of 2022/23, but he will be starting next year in the Saudi Pro League.

The 24-year-old is another example of a younger footballer moving to Asia as he follows in the footsteps of Neves.

Also, one of the new arrivals is Roberto Firmino who exited from Liverpool at the end of last season after enjoying a hugely successful eight-year spell with the football club which saw him lift the league and Champions League.

The Brazil international was linked with a number of elite clubs in Europe including Barcelona but he begins life next season at Al-Ahli alongside Mendy.

As the league is attracting top players, it is also snapping up coaches.

Former Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard is back in club management and has agreed to join Al Ettifaq.

The ex-Aston Villa and Rangers manager is one of the most prominent young managers to move to the division and it is expected that he will be used to try and entice some of the Premier League’s biggest players.

And on Saturday, former Croatia boss Slaven Bilic returned to Saudi Arabia as coach of Al-Fateh, according to the club.

The 54-year-old is the latest well-known figure to move to the Saudi league.

Other stars linked to Saudi Arabia transfer

The transfer window for the Pro League in Saudi Arabia will not close until 20 September 2023. There is still a long period for more prominent deals to take place.

Sadio Mané, now 31, is expected to leave Bayern Munich this summer and he is one of several players that could be added to this Pro League list.

Chelsea have been busy so far in the summer transfer window as other players look set to join Kante, Koulibaly and Mendy in Saudi Arabia. Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are also preparing for moves away from Europe.

Arsenal are trying to find the right club for Thomas Partey as the midfielder is set to be replaced, while Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha is now a free agent and has received an offer from Saudi Arabia.

Saul Niguez could also move to Al Nassr, but Atletico Madrid will likely demand a notable fee as he is contracted to the Spanish club until 2026.

However, Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana has rejected offers from two Saudi teams as he considers an offer from Man United.

Former AC Milan and Valencia head coach Gennaro Gattuso is also set to turn down offers to make the move despite being contacted directly by Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

There are rumours that Roma’s coach, Jose Mourinho was approached also.

Saudi’s strategy

Daily Trust findings show that the massive Saudi spending in the transfer market is part of a wider national strategy devised by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at establishing the country as a global sporting hub, with the industry being a crucial part of a diversified economy that will no longer rely on oil.

At the same time, it will help project Saudi Arabia, to audiences at home and abroad, as a modern, dynamic and innovative business, leisure and tourism destination.

The football league is to play a part in those big ambitions. It is spearheaded by the big four: Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal in Riyadh and Jeddah giants Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli. They will get most of the stars and, after being taken over by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which will be responsible for dragging the league into the global top 10 in terms of revenue generation by 2030. The PIF owns Newcastle United and now much of golf.