© via REUTERS/Al Ittihad
The world footballer from France is the next piece of the puzzle in the big picture that the kingdom wants to show itself.
First Cristiano Ronaldothen Karim Benzemamaybe later Lionel Messi – Saudi Arabian lures the big football stars into the national Pro-League, which is sporty at a manageable level, with an outrageous amount of money. The kingdom is rapidly striving for status as a new one sports superpower in contrast to. Football should only be part of the sports strategy.
Benzema signed for Al-Ittihad on Tuesday and plans to spend the autumn of his career in the Asian rather than European Champions League. According to media reports, this should be sweetened with 100 million dollars per year. With advertising rights, he should even double that.
Another star is to follow in the next few days. N’Golo Kanté – The Best Of N’Golo Kanté (32) also becomes Al Ittihad exchange. Kanté is Champions League Winner 2021, World Champion 2018, but recently hardly played at Chelsea. He is also said to get a $100 million salary.
The stars at the end of their career still like to bathe in the bubbling petro-dollar springs. Ronaldo, who is said to rake in around $200 million a year at his previously unknown club Al-Nassr, has already been won as an advertising figure. He recently spoke out in favor of more stars moving to the desert. “When they come, big players and big names, young players, old players: they are all welcome. If that happens, the league will be better,” said the 38-year-old Portuguese.
Of course, it’s not primarily about the football league, but rather about the global perspective in sport. Saudi Arabia wants to host the 2030 World Cup together with Egypt and Greece. This is the most important sports policy goal of the crown prince and de facto ruler of the country, Mohammed bin Salman. A Formula 1 race, boxing world championships, the golf series and the Asian Winter Games in 2029 are already taking place there. But football plays an even more important role.
The state makes no secret of its generous support for the ambitious projects. The clubs Al-Nassr (with Ronaldo), Al-Hilal (possibly soon with Messi), Al-Ittihad (with Benzema) and the champions of the second division, Al-Ahli, only went into the hands of a Saudi sovereign wealth fund on Monday . This had already taken over the Premier League club Newcastle United two years ago.
The sports strategy has changed in recent years, probably also because of Qatar, which has overtaken its big neighbor in international sports politics. Xavi Hernandez and Raúl played in the emirate’s league at times – but Qatar never had a collection of such illustrious names as it now seems possible in Saudi Arabia.
In terms of sport, the model is quite similar to Qatar’s. Members of the ruling family make the most important decisions. Saudis are “absolutely crazy about football,” says Middle East expert Guido Steinberg to the KURIER. Steinberg believes that bringing the 2030 World Cup to the country is even more realistic than the Olympics.
Crown Prince bin Salman also promised to bring the Saudi Pro League among the ten best leagues in the world. Superstar Ronaldo can imagine even more ambitious goals. “In my opinion, if they continue the work, in five years the Saudi league can be among the top five leagues in the world,” said the Portuguese, who says he will play another year for Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo’s performance around the turn of the year already showed how powerful the productions in the Gulf state can be. There could be a similar hoopla this summer for Benzema and especially Messi. But not only the show factor is high, but even more so the salaries.
Ronaldo’s 200 million a year should be significantly topped by Messi, who is already a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia. For Benzema, the prospect of €100m a year seems more appealing than more title chances with Real Madrid. Ronaldo (38), Messi (35) and Benzema (35) are all no longer the youngest, but in addition to their value as separate brands, they still belong to the group of international leaders in sport.
They don’t seem to worry about their image if they move to Saudi Arabia. Critics accuse the country of wanting to polish its own reputation with its involvement in professional sports. Under bin Salman, the conservative kingdom opened up socially and granted women more freedom. At the same time, opponents of the government continue to be persecuted with all severity. US intelligence services also hold the crown prince responsible for the brutal murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was critical of the government, at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.
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2023-06-07 07:36:35
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