Why Big Money Transfers to the Saudi Pro League like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Did Not Cost Al-Nassr or Al-Hilal Anything
Mega money moves for major footballing talent across the world have been the hallmark of the Saudi Pro League in recent transfer windows.
Last summer, the SPL’s recruitment stepped into overdrive with significant acquisitions from European leagues headlined by Neymar, Benzema, Kante, Henderson, Wijnaldum, and Firmino.
The emerging question among observers is how Saudi Pro League clubs can afford such massive outlays for talent acquisition. According to the Vice Chairman of the Saudi Pro League Saad Al-Laziz, the answer is nothing.
Talking to Kora Rotana, Al-Laziz said, “Al-Nassr did not pay any dollars to sign Ronaldo, the recruitment program in SPL is the one who is responsible for signing Ronaldo and paying him his salary. Same thing happened with Neymar to Al-Hilal, Jota to Ittihad, and [Marcelo] Brozovic and Otavio to Al-Nassr. Ronaldo was never going to Al-Hilal, the negotiations with the player was just about Al-Nassr.”
Given this revelation by Al-Laziz, there is an expectation that this model will continue being used in the future. More household names are expected to make the move to the Middle East in the coming transfer windows.
This is primarily because significant amounts of funds are available to SPL teams to spend in the transfer window. For example, Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah is targeted by Saudi clubs as they look to raise the league standards even further as the country prepares to host the 2034 World Cup.
