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While football is the most-watched sport on the planet, almost all of the media attention goes towards matches exclusively played between European club teams. The continent’s long history with the beautiful game is at par with others like South America or Africa but it trumps them with sheer competitive value, thanks to the most elite footballers in the world. But what if some of Europe’s top players move elsewhere, specifically, Saudi Arabia? Will the transfers change the face of the game for the better or worse? Let’s take a look at all the factors surrounding the Saudi Pro League’s monumental rise over the past year, the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer and the long road that lies ahead for Asian competitive football.
Has the Saudi transfers changed football?
The Saudi Pro League or the Roshn Saudi League, as it’s called by the sponsors, has been around for quite some time. The competition was founded in 1976 and yet it has gained immense global relevance only since last year.
In fact, ever since Cristiano Ronaldo moved from boyhood club Manchester United to Saudi club Al-Nassr, the league has skyrocketed in popularity. Within a year’s time, the Saudi Pro League earned the third-highest fan engagement in the world, according to LiveScore.
Players and managers from around the world who were once unlikely to ever play competitive football in the Middle East found themselves on the payroll of Saudi Arabian clubs. This includes players like Karim Benzema, Neymar Jr., N’golo Kante, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Riyad Mahrez.
These transfers have changed the dynamic of world football as many believe that the trend will have a negative impact on European football. While the continent still features a majority of the best players in the world like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, the Saudi league is still a threat.
Can Saudi Pro league be Top 10 league
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The Saudi Pro League may not have affected the Premier League’s viewership but it did easily overtake other smaller leagues around the world in terms of gaining immediate attention. Despite the signings, the league ranks in the 27th place in the world among other tournaments but analysts expect this to change over time.
Before and after Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival
The difference in the Saudi Pro League’s popularity and its impact on world football has been drastic considering the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. The 38-year-old superstar has transformed into the poster boy of football in Saudi Arabia.
Fans argue that it was his influence that persuaded more players to make their move to the Saudi League, despite the obvious financial benefits. In fact, the clubs have spent more than £750m in the transfer market in the previous window.
The massive spending from Saudi Arabian football clubs prompted western media outlets to level ‘sportswashing’ allegations against them. The BBC even claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo spearheaded this revolution in Asian football.
This also drew immediate comparisons to Ronaldo’s long-term rival Lionel Messi whose move to MLS side Inter Miami also grabbed headlines. However, the American league has not seen an influx of players moving there unlike the Saudi Pro League.
Things would have been dramatically different had Messi or Mbappe accepted Al-Hilal’s humongous billion-dollar contract offers. The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry would have also been going strong if not for the Argentine’s decision to choose MLS.
Is the Saudi Pro League actually good?
While the league has 18 competing teams, four clubs in particular seem to stand out from the rest: Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr. In fact, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has 75% stakes in these four founding members of the league.
While the investment does not directly translate to preferential treatment, many believe that the Riyadh-based clubs often dictate the league’s competition. The recent transfers have all been divided between these four teams, leaving other clubs almost helpless.
The top players from Saudi Pro League (SPL)
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However, such differences in competition apply to European leagues like Bundesliga, La Liga or Ligue 1 where only 2 or 3 teams dominate the calendar season. This does not necessarily undermine the value of the Saudi Pro League.
The league also has to buy more players who are in their footballing primes and below the age of thirty, if fans have to take it seriously. While veteran superstars are good for boosting the game’s image, overall quality of teams increases with scouting upcoming talent.
So far, the newly signed players have easily adapted their game to suit the playing style in the Saudi Pro League. Stars like Ronaldo have managed to replicate their prime goalscoring form and manage to draw in huge crowds for every single match.
The road ahead for Saudi Arabian football
The Saudi Pro League’s new chapter seems to have only just begun as football fans around the world expect the league to make more transfers that would shift the dynamic of the game in the favor of the Asian sub-continent.
The league would hope to improve its quality so that the recent change becomes more sustainable and will go down in history as more than just the aftermath of Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer. A variety of new additions are on their way to broaden the scope of Saudi Arabia’s football project, including a World Cup bid.
As things stand, the Roshn Saudi League seems far from being just another retirement league as early transfers would have suggested. Apart from big names in players, the clubs also need a fair share of renowned managers like Steven Gerrard’s arrival at Al-Ittihad.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has also been trying to appoint Jose Mourinho as a full-time manager at any one of the four Riyadh clubs where they hold stakes in. However, the Portuguese coach seems to be one of the candidates to return to Real Madrid once Carlo Ancelotti leaves.
The nation would try to capitalize on the ongoing momentum around its league in order to improve the chances around the bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034. They would hope to replicate their neighbors Qatar’s success with the competition in 2022.
Do you think the Saudi Pro League’s transfers have changed football for better or worse?