Cristiano Ronaldo’s future was uncertain after the 2022 World Cup, as fans knew his days at Manchester United were over. Much to everyone’s surprise, Ronaldo opted for a move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, making him one of the highest-paid players in the game’s history.
At the time of the move, the Portuguese captain was heavily criticized, with many saying things such as “He is finished”, and “No more at the top level.” Fans of Ronaldo were also very disappointed to see their favorite player play outside of Europe. Ronaldo genuinely believed in the Saudi project and even predicted that it was going to be one of the best leagues in the future, which of course fans made fun of.
Fast forward to the end of the summer transfer window, and the Saudi migration has well and truly made its mark. The money is not the sole factor, as many clubs around Europe are willing to pay big bucks, and China as well, a few years ago, used to offer huge salaries, which saw the likes of Hulk and Oscar make the move.
Cristiano has been the trendsetter so far as more than 30 top players have moved to Saudi, though some players have resisted this urge and preferred to stay and perform in Europe.
🚨Roberto Carlos: “What Cristiano did cannot be done by everyone; he was the first to leave, despite the criticism. I spoke to him, and it seemed to me that he was very happy. Saudi Football is developing and growing weekly and will soon become one of the best leagues.” pic.twitter.com/P66ukanMET
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) September 10, 2023
Roberto Carlos recently said that what Cristiano did wasn’t easy and also supported Ronaldo’s statement that the Saudi League is growing and will soon be one of the best leagues. Not to mention the revenue and broadcasting money have skyrocketed since all the players have started moving to Saudi Arabia.
A summary of all the players who have moved to the Saudi Pro League this summer
Players from all over Europe have moved to Saudi Arabia in this summer window. With over $840 million spent here are all the players that have made the move to various clubs in the Saudi Pro League.
Al Nassr– After signing Cristiano Ronaldo, they have gone on and bought Sadio Mane, Otavio, Ayumeric Laporte, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles.
Al Ittihad– The defending champions have secured the signings of Karim Benzema, Fabinho, Jota, Luiz Felipe, and Kante. They tried to sign Mohammed Salah but their $160 million offer was immediately rejected by Liverpool.
Al Hilal– The record champions have probably signed the biggest name this window with Neymar along with Ruben Neves, Malcolm, Bono, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Roger Ibañez and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Al Ahly– They have one of the best-attacking threats from their Premier League trio of Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin. They also now have the services of Eduardo Mendy, Frank Kessie, Merih Demiral, and Spanish youngster Gabri Veiga.
🚨: The Historical Saudi Transfer Window is now officially closed.
What a window this has been for RSL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eIZDlXGbAM
— All Things Cristiano (@CristianoTalk) September 7, 2023
Al Ettifaq– Steven Gerrard-led Al Ettifaq have signed Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum. Demarai Gray and Mousa Dembele have also joined their ranks.
Al Shabab joined the trend of luring players from Europe with the deadline-day signing of Yannick Carrasco. Al Sadd has also taken the Moroccan captain and former Wolves player Roman Saiss on loan till the end of the season.
