How will Saudi Arabia affect European Football?

Some of the top football stars will be playing in Saudi Pro League in 2023.

How will Saudi Arabia affect European Football?

Karim Benzema (L), Cristiano Ronaldo (M), and Neymar (R) (Photo credits: Imago)

Saudi Arabia’s football league, which has been around for nearly five decades is now gaining a lot of interest over the past few years. It started with the Real Madrid and Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo joining the Saudi club Al Nassr on a two-year deal worth approximately $200 million. And now, a flurry of top players have joined the Saudi Pro League in the last few months.

Players joining the Saudi clubs could be a good thing for the sport in the Middle East but how will it affect European football? Earlier this summer, the former Manchester United captain advocated for the Premier League to pause player transfers to the Saudi Pro League due to integrity reasons but it didn’t stop some of the biggest stars from the European leagues from jumping ship to the Saudi league.

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Liverpool’s captain Jordan Henderson made a shocking decision to accept Al-Ettifaq’s offer, while his teammate Fabinho also left Liverpool for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. Manchester City sold Riyad Mahrez Al-Ahli and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr roped in the former Manchester United full-back Alex Telles.

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Furthermore, Saudi’s biggest acquisition in the transfer window was the Brazilian forward Neymar. Al Hilal reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Neymar for £77.6m and add-ons. Now, some of the biggest names in football will be playing in the Saudi Pro League, which is already turning heads as the newest member of top leagues being telecasted and watched by a lot of people. With all its big investments in players like Ronaldo and Neymar, the Saudi Pro League is going to be an exciting affair for fans. However, according to the Canadian sportsbook, Al Hilal has the best chances to win with a fantastic 7/4 odds.

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Europe can’t compete with Saudi Arabia’s money

Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema (Image via Al-Ittihad Twitter)

This transfer window where the fans saw many players opting to choose a big contract instead of playing in Europe is just the beginning. The volume of transfers and the amount of money invested in the league just show the league’s aspirations to become one of the best leagues in the world. The Saudi league has 18 clubs and 4 of them are majorly owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). According to reports, the government-controlled PIF has over $777 billion in assets, and many people think their influence could last for a very long time.

Before SPL started spending atrocious money, they were below Major League Soccer and the Chinese Super League when it came to players’ choices. European stars, who were past their prime mostly went to MLS or CSL. But now, not only old stars but also some youngsters are choosing Saudi’s big money contracts. As a result, Europe is losing some of the biggest names in football including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and even the current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema. These huge money deals could have some profound effects on the transfer market and if SPL continues to splash money like they are doing currently, it’ll be tough for the European clubs to compete with them.

In fact, at the same time, the Saudi Arabian clubs are on a spending spree, some of the biggest clubs in Europe like Chelsea and Wolves are struggling to balance the books. Wolves reported a 46.1 million Euros loss last year. Saudi understands the economic power they have and is looking to continue growing their league. It should be noted that the PIF also owns 85% of the Premier League club Newcastle United.

“We have economic power. That’s true, but there is also a sensible, logical, thoughtful process to making the league better,” the SPL’s new Director of Football Michael Emenalo told CNN. It seems like the league has plans to continue its spending spree and attract top players from around the globe, especially top stars from the European circuits. If SPL continues to do that, they’ll soon be the desired destination for football players which could in return challenge the European Football League’s dominance.

Chinese Super League used to do the same thing

Cristiano Ronaldo SI
Cristiano Ronaldo (via SI)

Saudi’s money-spending tactics are not a new thing. Between 2014-207, the Chinese Super League tried to do the same thing and signed some big stars including Oscar, Hulk, and Carlos Tevez. At the time, some fans feared that the CSL had taken over the transfer market by throwing money at players. The CSL didn’t do much damage to European football, but the SPL is different.

The Saudi Pro League has the money and high ambitions to develop the league into a high-profile tournament. And also, they believe the league has been built on solid foundations. The Chinese Super League is a new league that has been around for only 19 years. Whereas Saudi league, founded in 1976 has been around for nearly five decades.

Plus, they have government backing funding, which will help the Saudi league to continue their atrocious signings. They have reportedly seen a massive increase in viewership since Ronaldo’s signing. So, they will likely continue to go after Europe’s biggest stars.

Some players are rejecting Saudi money

Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe (Image via SI)

Despite the massive pay, there are still some people who seemingly have chosen to play in Europe over big-money contracts. Just a few weeks ago, the PSG star Kylian Mbappe reportedly rejected a record-breaking massive 1-year deal worth $1.1 billion dollar to stay in France.

It has also been reported that the Argentinian star Lionel Messi also rejected a big offer from SPL before joining the MLS club Inter Miami. Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric mid also rejected an offer from SPL a few months ago. So some players are deciding to play against the highest level of competition instead of playing for money. Nonetheless, SPL aspires to be a Top 10 football league in the world. But right now, they are just merely a retirement home for players aged 30+. But They are determined to make it change.

In brief, the long-term effects of SPL could be big and can create a new hierarchy in football. Following Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi’s success in football, other wealthy Middle east nations could follow in their footsteps soon. Fans are already witnessing it in Qatar’s successful World Cup bid and reported successful bid to buy the historic PL club Manchester United.

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