Mecca of football stars: How new transfers to Saudi Arabia could change the entire league

The Saudi Arabia Football Federation was founded in 1976, evolving from the King’s Cup tournament focused mainly on regional competitions. This formation of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation saw the emergence of professional football, with eighteen teams competing in a double round-robin style for the championship title. The Saudi Arabia Football Federation is in the Asian Football Confederation, and its highest league is the Saudi Pro League.
Recently, one of the top football teams in the league, Al Nassr, signed Cristiano Ronaldo for £177 million per year. Whether it was the wages or the football star, the football world started seeing a revolution, with some of the biggest stars moving from English clubs to Saudi Clubs. In football matches today, the Saudi Pro League is gradually gaining more attention with daily rumors of transfers of football stars. With this massive influx of stars, the Saudi Football Federation is also experiencing huge investments, which could make them the new focus of the football world.
In this article, we discuss the transfers to the Saudi league so far and how it’s impacting the football world as we know it.
In a move that shocked the football world in December 2022, Al Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo for £177 million. The Arab world has always been known to be wealthy, but no player seemed to want to spend their prime years in their leagues. However, with a Public Investment Fund of $620 billion, Saudi Arabia was ready to give all it takes to bring the biggest stars and some popularity to their tournaments. It reflected in the transfer window this summer, with seemingly ridiculous bids thrown at football stars.
After Cristiano Ronaldo signed with Al Nassr, the football federation made a move on Lionel Messi. It was reported that Saudi Arabi offered the football star a staggering record deal of £400 million, which he turned down, and opted to play for Inter Miami. This rejection only seemed to spur the football federation to take on more stars, offering deals to Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Kalibaly, Reuben Neuves, Edouard Mendy, and a host of others.
In a done deal, Karim Benzema has signed with Al-Ittihad for £172 million. Nobody expected the football star to leave Real Madrid, but the Saudi revolution had already begun. N’Golo Kante, the beloved Chelsea midfielder, was next to sign with Al-Ittihad for £86 million. Reuben Neuves, the Wolves midfielder, who’s only 26, made a £47 million move to Al-Hilal. Kalidou Koulibaly was signed to Al-Hilal for £17 million, Sadio Mane to Al Nassr for £24 million, Fabinho to Al Ittihad for £40 million, Dembele to Al Ettifaq on a free transfer, and Seko Fofana to Al Nassr for £25.
In another shocking move to the football world, Neymar Jr. has officially agreed to move to Al-Hilal for £90 million. Also, Steven Gerrard, the former Liverpool captain, has moved to coach Al Ettifaq, and Riyah Mahrez has moved to Al-Ahli on a £35 million deal.
In rumored/upcoming transfers, Al Nassr is in talks with Hakim Ziyech, Bernardo Silva is in talks with Al Hilal, and Paul Pogba is in talks with Al-Ahli. A notable mention that got turned down was the Kylian Mbappe £259 million deal to Al Hilal. This move would have set off another cascade of transfers, and we’d most likely be watching all our rising and prominent stars in the Saudi Pro League.
Football stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Karim Benzema have millions of loyal fans worldwide. They’re trendsetters and positively pull their fans along to clubs and tournaments they play in. As such, it’s no surprise to see millions of fans already turning their attention to the Saudi Pro League. Asides from the fans, there’s more media coverage following these stars, and soon enough, Saudi Pro League will be competing with the likes of the English Premier League in viewership.
Also, players who think their prime is wasted in going to a league like the Saudi Pro League will have a different perspective. They get to play with football legends and make a competitive wager while at it. Besides, these contracts offered by the Saudi Pro League clubs are for two to three years, implying they can easily transfer out if they’re not satisfied at the end of the contract. You can follow tips.gg for more updates on transfers in and out of the Saudi League, as we’re sure we’ve not seen the end of stars migrating to the Arab state. In addition, you can get updates and bet on any football live score from the region and beyond on the site.
With the influence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia has begun a revolution that may last for years to come. This is great for football as it opens more opportunities and gives you more betting markets to explore. At tips.gg, we’re committed to giving you these updates and providing you with the best football betting markets from anywhere in the world!