Fewer old stars, more talent: Saudi Arabia wants to give its football leagues more prestige. To achieve this, the clubs are relying on a new strategy.
13.08.2025, 16:00
13.08.2025, 16:19
SDA
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- Saudi football clubs continue to lure top players to the desert state. Kingsley Coman (29) is soon to move from Bayern Munich to Al-Nassr.
- Now, however, it is no longer mainly players in the middle of their careers such as Cristiano Ronaldo (40) or Karim Benzema (37) who are moving to Saudi Arabia, but also young players such as Darwin Núñez (26) or Enzo Millot (23).
- Two years ago, the average age of the "legionnaires" was 29. The league wants to lower this average, as the Saudi Pro League is set to become one of the best 10 leagues in the world.
Riyadh instead of Munich: At the start of this summer, neither the player nor FC Bayern expected Kingsley Coman (29) to move to Saudi Arabia in his prime. The German record champions continued to plan with the Frenchman, who had already announced his intention to stay. However, the fact that the club Al-Nassr (where Coman's medical check is still pending) lured him with a high salary caused the 29-year-old to change his mind - and is not the only example of the new strategy that the financially heavily state-supported Saudi league is now pursuing.
For a long time, it was above all old stars who had been discarded who caused a stir, picking up a windfall in the late fall of their careers. Former world footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, moved to the Gulf state in 2023 at the age of 37. There were also hardly any takers in Europe for Sadio Mané, who had been discarded by FC Bayern, or Brazil's injury-prone dribbling artist Neymar, who was 31 years old at the time of his transfer, due to high salary demands.
Núñez, Millot and Durán
The latest additions to the Saudi clubs, on the other hand, are of different birth years. Darwin Núñez was also linked with Italian champions SSC Napoli this summer, but the 26-year-old from Liverpool FC opted for Saudi first division club Al-Hilal. The transfer of former Stuttgart player Enzo Millot, who at the age of 23 is still far from his prime, to Al-Ahli also surprised many fans.
In addition, more and more talents are leaving Europe before their big breakthrough. The talented striker Jhon Durán was only 21 years old when the Colombian moved from Aston Villa to Ronaldo's club Al-Nassr in January. The then 21-year-old Marcos Leonardo moved to Al-Hilal in the summer of 2024, although he had only played three times from the start at Benfica Lisbon in the Portuguese league. In Saudi Arabia, the Brazilian has been on fire, scoring twice in a surprise win over Manchester City at the Club World Cup.
League controls clubs' transfer policy
The Saudi Pro League (SPL) is not hiding the fact that there has been a change in strategy when it comes to signings. The league has christened a program announced for 2023 the "Player Acquisition Centre of Excellence" (PACE). According to the plans, the transfer policy of all 18 clubs will be organized under the umbrella of the league. The aim is to avoid expensive contract terminations - and to reduce the average age of players. Two years ago, the average age of the "legionnaires" was 29. The league wants to lower this average, as the Saudi Pro League aims to become one of the top 10 leagues in the world.
An ambitious goal, but one that plays a central role in Saudi Arabia's strategy. Under the leadership of de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, the country has been pushing ahead with a comprehensive economic reform called "Vision 2030" for years, which aims to make the country less dependent on oil. This includes opening up tourism and entertainment, which was banned in the strictly conservative kingdom for decades, as well as a focus on sport.
Sportswashing?
According to critics, in addition to the economic goals, the government in Riyadh is also concerned with improving its own image with the help of so-called "sportswashing". Despite some reforms, human rights activists have repeatedly given the country, which made international headlines after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a bad report card. Last year, 345 people were executed in Saudi Arabia - the highest number in more than three decades, according to a report by human rights organization Amnesty. These included many foreign nationals convicted of drug-related offenses, as well as journalists critical of the government.
As part of the partial opening, women have also been granted more rights and have been allowed to play sport in public and take part in competitions since 2017. Saudi women have been taking part in international competitions for a long time, but it is only thanks to the country's recent reforms that women's sport is being accepted and practised in broader sections of society. There has also been a professional football league since 2022, in which Dzsenifer Marozsán will also play in the future. The long-serving German international moved to Al-Qadsiah this summer.
Despite the easing of restrictions, women's rights remain more restricted than in very few other countries. Women still need the permission of a male guardian for many decisions. According to the law, women must also "obey their husbands in a reasonable manner" - otherwise they risk losing their right to financial support.
When remorse comes
Despite the critical voices, Saudi Arabia is carrying on with sport. The desert state will host the FIFA World Cup in 2034. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF holds a majority stake in several clubs in the domestic league and took over Premier League club Newcastle United (with Fabian Schär) in 2021. The state also invests huge sums in golf, tennis, motorsports and martial arts.
Financially, neither players nor clubs can escape the tempting sums. Millot is said to earn around 10 million euros a year at Al-Ahli - without any deductions, as no income tax is levied in Saudi Arabia. VfB Stuttgart will also earn more money than expected with a transfer fee of 30 million euros. Millot could have transferred for 10 million euros less via an exit clause, but this was only valid for clubs from the top European leagues.
It remains to be seen whether Saudi Arabia's own ambitions will prevail in the long term and whether players like Enzo Millot will be happy in the Gulf state. The example of Jhon Durán shows how quickly young players can regret their decision despite the huge salaries. Just six months after his move (for 77 million euros), the Colombian has already left Al-Nassr - and has been playing on loan at Fenerbahce since this summer.
