Aadi's Sports Corner

The Saudi Pro League has become a sensation over the world. It has grabbed the headlines of a number of acclaimed newspapers and magazines over the past 7-8 months. 

The biggest attention- grabbing moment was the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo by Al-Nassr in January. The veteran joined the club on a free transfer after a fallout with his former club Manchester United. 

Cristiano Ronaldo being acclaimed as the greatest player of all time and having a massive fan following definitely played a major role in increasing the viewership of the league. Broadcasters from all around the world started a war for the television rights of the league to telecast in their respective countries.

Cristiano himself did not disappoint. Scoring goals like a poacher and winning matches for his club. 

In June, 2023, the current Ballon D’or winner, Karim Benzema decided to join Al-Ittihad for a whopping 200 million euros per year on a 2 year deal, after achieving every trophy with a legendary Real Madrid side.

After a few days, Chelsea legend, N’Golo Kante, decided to join Benzema at Al-Ittihad for a deal worth 100 million euros per year.

Everyone started thinking that the Saudi league had just become a retirement home for footballers just like the MLS. Ruben Neves, a 26 year old Portuguese footballer in his prime, decided to join Al-Hilal for 55 million euros. 

This cleared the fact that it was the money that was attracting the players to join these clubs. It was a clear fact that the Saudi clubs were way too rich and could spend enormous amounts of money to sign footballers. 

Soon Kalidou Koulibaly joined Al-Hilal and Edouard Mendy joined Al-Ahli. They were followed by Marcelo Brozovic to Al-Nassr and Jota to Al-Ittihad.

Along with footballers, managers also started joining the clubs. Steven Gerrard, the former England and Liverpool player, signed for Al-Ettifaq as their new manager. 

The league has definitely grown over the past few months, but it has made everyone question the spirit of football. Has football become a money favouring sport? Can the clubs with money actually buy the loyalty and culture held by the traditional European Clubs. 

In a recent interview, Cristiano Ronaldo mentioned that the Saudi League is way better than the MLS. He even mentioned that he is happier in Saudi and has no intention of returning to Europe. According to him, the level of European football has dipped over the years and only the Premier League is still competitive enough. 

The league is still expanding itself, with rumours suggesting that Riyad Mahrez and Jordan Henderson will soon be signing lucrative deals.