Page 69 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

THE SAUDI SHAKE- UP
CIRO DI BRITA DIVES INTO THE DEPARTURE OF SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL TO THE SAUDI PRO LEAGUE AND WHAT IT ALL MEANS FOR THE GAME IN THE SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr in December raised many eyebrows around the footballing world, as many felt the Portuguese superstar would remain in Europe to compete in the Champions League and not disappear into
a less high-profile league solely for a final
big payday. It became apparent then last winter that the Saudis obviously had high hopes to bring as many big star names to the country as possible and to build a competitive domestic competition that could draw interest from around the globe.
Karim Benzema began the exodus of European-based players heading to the Arabian Peninsula this summer, with the likes of Neymar, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Riyad Mahrez, and Marcelo Brozovic joining various clubs. It has not been limited to just players either, with Steven Gerrard named
as coach of Al-Ittifaq before reuniting with former Liverpool teammate Henderson.
The wages being offered by these Saudi sides have blown their European counterparts
out of the water and has definitely skewed the market. Premier League teams such as Chelsea have in turn paid monstrous transfer fees for players in part funded by the money they received from Saudi sides. The jury is
still out on whether this model of inflated wages is sustainable in the short term with comparisons made with the Chinese Super League and their short-lived attempt at attracting high-profile players. That said, the difference this time is that the money this time looks more secure and it appears likely that more star names will follow in making the move in the months to come.
The Saudis have been accused of sportswashing over the past few years,
with their promotion of LIV Golf and the takeover of Newcastle United, among other investments, being heavily criticised. It is possible that the money being spent in the Saudi Pro League has a purpose in promoting the possibility of them hosting a World Cup
in the foreseeable future. A joint bid by Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Egypt for the 2030 World Cup was withdrawn in June but the interest to host is still there. Coming up in 2025 is FIFA’s Club World Cup featuring 32 teams from the seven confederations, Al-Hilal have already qualified as winners of the 2021 AFC Champions League.
Christian Pulisic has joined
Milan after a disappointing end to his time at Chelsea
“MILAN REPRESENTS A NEW START FOR CHRISTIAN PULISIC, WHO SHOULD STILL HAVE MANY AMAZING YEARS AHEAD OF HIM”
Karim Benzema is among the many players to move to the Saudi Pro League this summer
It became apparent then last winter that the Saudis obviously had high hopes to bring as many big star names to the country as possib
Christian Pulisic of the USA in action
playmaker Bruno Guimaraes and the powerful Joelinton, and the three players complement each other with a good balance of pace, passing ability, skill, and physical strength. Tonali’s experience in the Champions League over the past few seasons will be appreciated as the Magpies attempt to juggle domestic and European games for the first time in 11 years.
SERIE A - CHRISTIAN PULISIC
Milan, flush with cash from their run to the Champions League semi-finals and Sandro Tonali’s transfer fee, brought several new faces to the San Siro this summer. Yunus Musah, Samuel Chukwueze, Tijjani Reijnders, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Noah Okafor arrived at Milanello for a combined total of €92m. The new arrivals giving coach Stefano Pioli
a much-needed selection headache after losing
SOCCER360 MAGAZINE 69