Cristiano Ronaldo (m.) and Sadio Mane have already landed in Saudi Arabia – Photo: / Getty Images
Saudi Arabia launched a transfer attack last summer and lured a number of top stars from Europe to the Saudi Pro League. Money seems to be available indefinitely in the desert state, but a rule curbed the spending spree at least a little. That could change soon.
Cristiano Ronaldo (38) made the start in January of this year, and in the summer numerous top stars around Karim Benzema (36) followed suit and moved to the Saudi Pro League. Although the league cannot keep up with the top leagues in Europe in terms of sport, the stars around Neymar (31) and Co. earn significantly more there than they already do.
Neymar, for example, is said to earn almost 150 million euros per year, Ronaldo probably even up to 200 million euros. While money plays no role in the desert state, the transfer offensive was only curbed by a league rule. This states that clubs are allowed to register a maximum of eight foreign players.
Ten instead of eight foreigners soon allowed?
A supposedly planned rule change could further intensify the desert state’s transfer offensives in the future. According to research by the English daily newspaper Telegraph, every Saudi club will soon be able to sign ten foreigners for their team instead of just eight. According to the newspaper, corresponding discussions have already taken place.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Photo: Maciej Rogowski Photo / Shutterstock.com
The limit was only increased this year from six to eight players, and further relaxation of the rule is likely to mean further transfer attacks. Top players are linked with clubs from the Saudi Pro League almost every day.
Saudi Pro League has big ambitions
While most of the players who chose the desert route are already at the end of their careers, much younger players, such as Gabri Veiga (21) and Jota (24), moved to Saudi Arabia. In addition, Matthias Jaissle (35), one of the greatest coaching talents, ended up in the desert.
The league’s bosses have already expressed big goals several times, saying they want to be one of the best leagues in the next few years and be able to keep up with the top leagues from Europe.
Sources used
The Telegraph
2023-12-28 08:29:11
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