Saudi Arabian football, is it fool's gold?

Karim Benzema and Jordan Henderson were two of the big name footballers lured to Saudi Arabia in summer, 2023, now one has left and the other is demanding an exit, so what has gone wrong?

Henderson was heavily criticised for his move to Saudi Arabia following previous public support of the LGBTQ+ community, just a few months later, the former Liverpool captain has joined Ajax in the Netherlands.

Henderson spoke at his Ajax unveiling, telling reporters, "Unfortunately sometimes in life these things don't work out in football and in life in general. The decision was this was the best for me and my family at this time."

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Karim Benzema, Al-Ittihad's marquee signing in the summer, has now asked to leave the club according to various reports. In recent weeks he has been forced to train alone so there is clearly some internal conflict.

Another European superstar, Aymeric Laporte also made the move to Saudi Arabia, but recently told the Spanish publication AS, "They haven't made it easy for us. In fact, there are many players who are dissatisfied", and, "In terms of quality of life, I expected something different because in the end here you spend three hours a day in the car. Riyadh is a waste of traffic, of time wasted in the car."

Laporte also told AS that the reality is most players who made the move were doing it for financial reasons and that, "I am also looking for something beyond that is not the economic part and such," suggesting there is a dissatisfaction from players with the country and league.

If you are a follower of football, it will have been tough to miss the recent increase in talk of the Saudi Arabian Roshn Saudi League. With legends of the game-deciding to move to Saudi Arabia in moves we haven’t previously seen. Why is this happening, and is it going to last?

Saudi Arabia is a country with vast wealth, mostly coming from their incredible oil reserves, state-owned oil company Aramco is the third largest company in the world by market cap, valued at over two trillion dollars. There is a concerted effort to diversify their economy and sport is seen as a driver of this.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, started back in the 1970s, its goal is to invest the state’s money both internally and internationally. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the current Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia and head of the PIF.

Football has always been popular in Saudi, with Riyadh and Jeddah being home to two teams each. Riyadh-based Al Hilal and Al Nassr, along with Jeddah’s Al Ahli and Al Ittihad have been chosen by the PIF for investment, with the fund taking 75% stakes in each of the clubs.

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To outsiders, this may seem a strange setup, with one body owning the four biggest clubs, but the Saudis see it as a way of raising the level of the league as a whole. If these four teams are able to attract stars, it could attract more investment and snowball into a competitive league.

After leaving Manchester United in controversial circumstances, Ronaldo was a free agent and Al Nassr jumped at the chance to sign the Portuguese. This was a statement of intent from Saudi, showing they are willing to do whatever it takes to sign the big stars. In this case, it is costing Al Nassr $215 million a year to sign the ex-Real Madrid star.

Not to be outdone by their city and league rival, Al Ittihad unveiled Balon d’Or winner Karim Benzema at their King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah. The Frenchman was greeted by 62,000 fans.

Steven Gerrard's record as a manager is patchy, after having success in Scotland he was an abject failure during his time at Aston Villa, but this didn't stop Al Ettifaq from opening the chequebook and offering the ex-Liverpool star $6.2 million per season.

Aside from the signings of legends such as Ronaldo and Benzema, clubs in Saudi Arabia have also been able to attract big name stars from Europe's top leagues Al Hillal have signed Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly. Neves and Koulibaly were both cemented into their Premier League squads last season, whilst Milinkovic-Savic is only 28 and previously linked to some of the biggest clubs around.

After securing the signing of Karim Benzema, Al Ittihad didn't sit still. They were desperate to sign more big names and secured the services of N'Golo Kante, for a rumoured $100 million per season. They also signed 24-year-old winger Jota from Celtic and have brought in ex-Wovles and Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo as manager.

After catching the biggest fish imaginable, Al Nassr weren't content to sit still and have so far added more big names to their squad. This includes Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan and ex-Arsenal keeper David Ospina. They are also linked to Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, but no bids have been made so far.

Benzema himself was quick to point out how important the signing of Ronaldo was for Saudi football, saying, “It’s important also that Cristiano Ronaldo is in Saudi Arabia because he’s a very big player. He brings a lot to the game in this country and that will further elevate their playing level”.

Desperate for a star of their own, and to rekindle a legendary rivalry, Al Hilal were intent on signing Lionel Messi after his departure from Paris Saint Germain. Messi is already an ambassador for the country so the deal seemed to make sense, but despite being offered a two-year deal worth $1,000,000,000, Messi chose to play in America instead.

Saudi Arabia is a country with a dreadful human rights record, with homosexuality illegal and women’s rights being restricted, how many other players will make the move to the gulf state is not yet known, but with the money being put on the table, it will tough to say no.

The Saudi Pro League is currently ranked 58th in the world, comparable to Serie C in Italy, so to grow the league into something commensurate with a top European league seems a long way to go, and this certainly isn’t the first time a country has tried to buy their way to the top of football…

Back in the mid-2010s, the Chinese Super League was looking to do something similar to the Saudis, bringing in stars such as Hulk and Ramires from Zenit Saint Petersburg and Chelsea respectively. The league seemed destined to attract the big stars with Oscar signing for Shanghai SIPG aged just 25 and in his prime, his £400,000-a-week an unheard-of figure for the time.

Ultimately China’s plan fell apart due to a change in priorities, with the state deciding there was a limited need for football to play a roll in their global political powerplays. Taxes and wage limits saw the end of this venture only a few years after it began.

The PIF have a controlling stake in Newcastle United and their investment already seems to be paying off, with the Geordie side finishing in fourth place and securing Champions League football. Owning a club of Newcastle’s stature is a significant step for the Saudis and they will use The Magpies as their flagship abroad.

Within the Saudi Pro League, the plan, according to The Athletic’s Adam Crafton is simple with Saudi Arabia, “interested in basically every famous player over the age of 30. That appears to be the target market at the moment. They want big names, they want a splash”. Ngolo Kante is the most recent big name linked with a move.

Putting the controversies aside, adding a new and powerful league into the mix for big names is certainly going to create interest in the world of football. No longer will it just be the biggest clubs in Europe signing these talented players, but perhaps the state-backed Saudi Pro Leagues and their newly manufactured top 4.

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