More than a year ago, Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines when he signed with Al-Nassr and decided to move to Saudi Arabia and do his football magic on the Middle-Eastern fields. Exiting his career at Manchester United, the Portuguese did not choose to stay in the Premier League nor did he choose to go to another European club.
Instead, he opted for the Saudi Pro League, which secured him 225 million dollars for a two-and-a-half-year contract – roughly 75 million dollars per year. Ronaldo’s transfer was the first huge leak from the west to the Middle East. Some months later, in June 2023, Karim Benzema followed Ronaldo’s example and signed with Al Ittihad, another Saudi Pro League’s top club. And in August 2023, another first-class football star – PSG’s forward- Neymar left European soil to join Al Hilal and be the third big name to move down the same road.
Helping football grow in Saudi Arabia has been cited as one of the primary reasons for going to the Middle East by all three footballers. In fact, Benzema told news reporters that he very much admires what Ronaldo did and that he had always wanted to become a driving force for football growth down there. And the truth is that the Saudi Pro League has indeed grown in popularity, revenues, and viewership and has also promoted a skyrocketing growth in sports wagering, as reported by most UAE Bookmakers, that also battle to have the best betting app in UAE.
The Saudi Pro League has set its eyes on European football a long time ago. And for that reason, they have been spending ridiculously high amounts of money in getting the top football players of some of the most popular leagues in the world – namely, EPL, Ligue 1, La Liga, etc.
The goal is to change the entire sports landscape in Saudi Arabia, increase football’s popularity, attract global viewership, and of course make more money out of it, as they do with Cricket Apps for example. And what is the best way to do so? Definitely, by getting several big names into one league and making football played by the clubs there, an absolute spectacle, a uniquely equipped competition, and an unparalleled showcase of football talent.
For the Saudi Pro League, being able to have huge stars of football playing on Middle-eastern soil, is a great marketing move that has both strategic and profit-making implications. On the one hand, these players bring the league to the world’s attention and secure widespread viewership. Let’s not…
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