Cristiano Ronaldo, the first great symbol of the Saudi Pro League’s sporting power grab, arrived on New Year’s Day. By June 1, the Portugal international was talking about those who would be joining him.
“If they are coming – big players and big names, young players, ‘old players’ – they are very welcome,” said Ronaldo. “Because if that happens, the league will improve.” There is no longer an “if” about Saudi Arabia’s assault on European club football’s economic hegemony. The more relevant questions are “how many?”, “for how long?”, and “to what ultimate goal?”
In the 30 days since Ronaldo discussed the future of the Saudi Pro League, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy have signed contracts to join him there. That same month, Ronaldo’s rival of almost two decades, Lionel Messi, and another former Real Madrid team-mate, Luka Modric turned down the largest financial offers of their careers to play in the Kingdom. Had Messi and Modric accepted next season’s Saudi Pro League would have boasted the winners of the last 14 Ballons d’Or. Every other winner of football’s premier individual prize has retired.
Yet Ronaldo is 38 and damaged his image in forcing an exit from Manchester United. Messi is 36 and chose the Apple-assisted riches of Major League Soccer over the challenge of returning Barcelona to Champions League glory. Benzema and Modric are 35 and 37; Koulibaly and Mendy part of Chelsea’s latest attempt to clear house.
If the Saudis are merely doling out cash to semi-retirees and the unwanted, are they really a threat to Europe’s clubs? Yes. Because the plan is more ambitious than that. Last Saturday Al Hilal took the SPL’s record transfer fee to €55million (£47.3m) by signing Wolverhampton captain Ruben Neves. The Portugal midfielder is 26 and coveted by multiple Champions League clubs.
Bernardo Silva has an offer to follow his national team-mate to Saudi Arabia in a deal that would far exceed that fee. The 28-year-old has just added the Champions League to his collection of five of the last six English Premier League titles. Silva is at the peak of his career, plays for the most richly-resourced club in world football and has competing contract offers from Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
The Saudis are competing to sign arguably the most accomplished midfielder in the game. And are intentionally going to head-to-head with two other sport-invested Middle East nation states – Abu Dhabi and Qatar – in the process. Whether Silva ultimately elects to join the SPL or not, the bid is a statement of intent.
The Saudi strategy also involves picking off outperforming talents from Europe’s second tier of leagues. The €25m fee Celtic have agreed for Jota will see the Scottish champions’ second most prolific goalscorer last season switch to Saudi Arabia at the age of 24, just a year after the Portugal under-21 international completed a full transfer from Benfica.
Before the Saudi transfer window closes in late September there will be more young players like Jota with a market in Europe joining the Pro League. And more established names following the path led by Ronaldo. Amongst a slew of moves under negotiation are an attempt to take Neymar – still the planet’s most expensive footballer by transfer fee – from PSG, and an effort to persuade recent Champions League winner Roberto Firmino to join him in Saudi Arabia. Neymar is said to be seeking an annual salary of €100m.
The call as to whether that number represents value will be taken by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund that owns 80 per cent of Newcastle United and recently agreed an investment deal with the PGA Tour. Chaired by crown prince Mohammad bin Salman and run by Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF has been charged with overseeing the unprecedented spend on supercharging a Middle East league.
Early last month, PIF announced it was taking a 75 per cent shareholding in four of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent clubs – Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, champions Al Ittihad (coached by Nuno Espirito Santo), Al Ahli and Al Hilal. In addition, Neom - a company wholly owned by PIF - would run second-tier Al Suqoor, state oil company Aramco take charge of Al Qadisah, while two other state entities were to manage Al Diraiyah and Al Ula.
Though the cumulative investment in football comprises a small fraction of the “approx.” $700billion (£550.6bn) of assets under management PIF claims on the fund’s official website, it represents a significant soft power play by the Crown Prince. Saudi Arabia’s unelected head of state has observed the economic and political gains secured by Qatar and Abu Dhabi’s buy up of European clubs (and the 2022 World Cup) and wants to surpass them.
Officially, the spend on spiriting elite players, coaches and executives away from Europe forms a part of MBS’ “Vision 2030” plan to diversify the nation’s economy away from oil. His ministries also talk about the health benefits of globally famous sportsmen inspiring the Kingdom’s population to exercise more.
What Saudi Arabia is also buying is a powerful presence in the planet’s most popular sport. In conversations with players and agents, PIF executives talk of establishing the Saudi Pro League as one of the top 10 domestic competitions in short order. In last month’s interview, Ronaldo suggested that “if they continue to do the work they want to do here for the next five years, the Saudi league can be a top five league in the world”.
MBS wants his own World Cup, ideally by 2034. Saudi Arabia will host this year’s FIFA Club World Cup and has talked with the world governing body about coinvestment in the expanded 32-team tournament that starts in 2025. Gianni Infantino sees that tournament as a precursor to a global Super League, which could draw eyeballs and revenue away from UEFA’s Champions League.
It is, in short, an interesting time for Saudi Arabia to establish itself as the largest pot of cash in football. And to place those funds under the stewardship of one, state-controlled, organisation.
Those in football who have worked with PIF to date stress the diligence with which funds are put to use. Though Al-Rumayyan’s executives accept that persuading talent to swap Europe for the Pro League involves paying over market rate, a limit is placed on the premium PIF will authorise on any given deal. By taking stakes in four big clubs at one time, the sovereign wealth fund can prevent them from bidding against each other on salaries and fees.
And should Newcastle fancy bringing one or two of the Saudi Pro League’s shiny new recruits back to Europe’s Champions League in a window or two’s time? Well, then PIF would effectively be negotiating with itself...
