2023-06-28 20:30:49
Thanks to the country’s oil billions, Saudi Arabia and its Pro League are increasingly becoming the target of international soccer stars. Chelsea FC in particular was recently able to place some of the players in their luxury squad in the desert state.
On Wednesday (July 27th, 2023), former world goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was the third Blues player to follow the call for money towards the Arabian Peninsula within a few days and will be between the posts at Al-Ahli in the future.
According to speculation, the Saudis will transfer a fee of more than 18 million euros. Al-Ahli tied the 31-year-old to himself for the next three years. Mendy is said to collect eleven million euros and up to three million euros in bonus payments during this time. Before the goalkeeper, former French world champion N’Golo Kante (free transfer to Al-Ittihad) and Mendy’s compatriot Kalidou Koulibaly (for 23 million euros to Al-Hilal) had already switched from Chelsea to Saudi Arabia.
Starting signal with Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr earlier this year appears to have been the starting signal for an unprecedented investment offensive by the kingdom. The French top striker Karim Benzema has already decided on an offer from Al-Ittihad.
In addition to the over 30 professionals, the Gulf state was recently able to steer a player in the best footballer age into the Pro League with Ruben Neves. The 26-year-old Portuguese switched from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Al-Hilal for 55 million euros. A corresponding salary should have made the way to the desert palatable for the Portuguese international.
World Cup as a long-term goal
In other sports such as golf or tennis, Saudi Arabia has recently plowed up the sports landscape significantly. Now the kingdom seems to be serious regarding football too. The goal is clear: the image of the state, which is repeatedly associated with human rights violations, is to be polished up. The crowning glory should be the organization of a World Cup.
The Club World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia at the end of 2023. At the beginning of the week, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino and the head of the Saudi association, Yasser Al Misehal, announced with great fanfare that the metropolis of Jeddah on the Red Sea would be the venue for the Club World Cup. The “big” World Cup might follow. An application for 2030 with Greece and Egypt is on the brink. A new attempt might follow for 2034.
Other celebrities on the list
Until then, the domestic Pro League will be spiced up. There are plenty of other rumours: Marcelo Brozovic (31, Inter Milan), Seko Fofana (28, RC Lens), Hakim Ziyech (30, Chelsea), Marco Verratti (30, Paris St. Germain) or Bernardo Silva (28, Manchester City) are said to be other candidates on the Saudi kingdom’s celebrity list.
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