Football has long been a sport of passion, skill, and international appeal. These days, however, another ingredient dominates headlines: money. Saudi Arabia is entering the world of football in a manner very few expected. The country has given salaries for some of the best players that are simply eye-popping. And this financial revolution doesn’t only change careers; it changes the sport.
The Saudi Vision: More Than Just Football
Saudi Arabia’s interest for football is not just about loving the game; rather, it is part of a broader and more ambitious plan known as Vision 2030, a government initiative aimed at diversifying the country’s economy, reducing its reliance on oil revenues, and investing in sectors such as tourism, entertainment, and sports with the aim of positioning itself as a global leader in these industries. With football being the most watched sport globally, it is a perfect platform on which to harness global attention and increase the country’s international profile, thereby instilling pride and a sense of belonging in its citizenry.
Along with securing global stars, Saudi clubs are trying to raise both the quality and visibility of the domestic league so that in the future the country could become a hub for hosting major football tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup. It efficiently combines the big financial resources of the country with its vision for long-term global influence.
Mega-Salaries: A Game-Changer for Players
Saudi clubs are offering salaries that even Europe’s biggest teams struggle to match, with figures that seem almost unreal in the world of sports. For instance, Cristiano Ronaldo’s reported contract with Al-Nassr is worth over $200 million annually, including commercial and sponsorship deals, setting a new benchmark for what a football player can earn. This is not just a paycheck; it is a statement of the financial muscle and ambitions of Saudi Arabia in the footballing world.
These huge wages are tempting players who otherwise would have preferred to remain in Europe’s top leagues, where traditionally the competition has been considered to be more intense and prestigious. But it is not just seasoned stars like Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar that are making the move; life-changing financial rewards also attract younger talents there, too. That perhaps makes sense economically through the prism of opportunity cost: players who relocated to Saudi Arabia would lose the prestige and competition of tournaments like the UEFA Champions League but gain unmatched financial security and wealth for themselves and their families for generations.
The Ripple Effect on European Football
Saudi Arabian clubs are changing the game, putting big investments in big-name players that have enabled many European clubs, often with financial problems, to make profitable sales. Perhaps the biggest example is PSG’s sale of Neymar to Al-Hilal for €90 million-an extremely large amount considering his injury record at the club. In sporting terms, though, it has been a failure for Al-Hilal, he having played only four matches in two seasons after his transfer.
That said, however, Saudi clubs are not exclusively focused on sporting success. They want more international visibility and promotion of their league with marquee signings of world-class players. In that vein, bringing on board one of the most known names in football, Neymar, has achieved its intended purpose in giving a heretofore unknown Saudi Pro League massive attention.
While this strategy benefits European clubs like PSG financially, it increases the gap between the richest and smaller clubs that cannot compete with the lucrative offers coming from Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it questions the dominance of the European leagues. If Saudi Arabia continues to attract top stars and builds its football infrastructure, then it could become a serious contender for global football’s spotlight.
Can It Last? A Look at Sustainability
But the big question is whether Saudi Arabia’s ambitious football project will be sustainable in the long term. Offering massive salaries and paying astronomical transfer fees require substantial financial backing, presently coming from the country’s Public Investment Fund. While Saudi Arabia presently has the financial resources to sustain this strategy, it’s worth comparing their approach to that of China, which pursued a similar strategy around 2016.
China, too, has spent heavily on attracting the world’s top football stars, but has failed to follow through. The Chinese government, which backed the push to improve the domestic league, imposed financial restrictions in 2017 with a luxury tax on foreign player transfers, doubling costs for clubs signing expensive foreign players and thus significantly reducing their spending power. Also, the policy priorities of the Chinese government changed, and the appeal and financial viability of the league simply fell off a cliff.
On the other hand, it would appear Saudi Arabia is more strategic and long-term in approach. With it being the Saudi government leading the charge on these investments as part of Vision 2030, it is unlikely they will place restrictions on spending like China did. More importantly, these investments align with wider national objectives: improving the image of the country through tourism attraction, and turning the country into a football powerhouse. With Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup scheduled in 2034, its goals are not just about building a league but about creating a local and internationally resonating culture and passion in football. This holistic approach will give their project a greater sense of sustainability in comparison with the short-lived Chinese experiment.
A New Era for Football
Saudi Arabia is changing football in ways no one thought possible just a few years ago. With massive salaries, big investments, and a clear plan to grow, they’ve become a major player in the sport. Of course, people worry about whether this is fair or sustainable, but when you’re paying amounts that can make anyone’s jaw drop, it’s hard to ignore.
Whether this leads to long-term success or ends up like China’s short-lived experiment, one thing is clear: Saudi Arabia has shown that money can change everything in football. The sport may never look the same again, and the game off the pitch might just be as important as the one on it.