Rapid Transformation: Saudi Pro League Recruits Football Stars

Saudi Arabia is already dreaming of the 2034 World Cup. The kingdom of the Arabian Peninsula, well helped by FIFA, is the last candidate in the running for the organization of the major world football event. A new “master” move from a country regularly singled out for human rights violations and which wishes to use sport to improve its international image. But while waiting for this new major step in its history with sport, it is time to take stock of the Saudi championship, which upset the established order on the football planet during the last transfer market.

New stronghold of the transfer window since the start of 2023, the Saudi Pro League has given itself an express makeover this year by recruiting a host of football stars, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Karim Benzema via N’Golo Kanté or even Neymar. With these new high-sounding names, certain formations have obviously changed dimension. And after 13 days of championship, the evolution is logically felt. “It brought added value to the clubs. But also at the level of the championship,” confirms Sofian Kheyari, a privileged observer of this change as Robert Mancini’s deputy at the head of the Saudi selection, after having was that of Hervé Renard.

“Collective mastery and individual quality are more important”

Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr – which are among the four clubs targeted by the sovereign wealth fund (PIF) to primarily welcome international stars – notably raised the tone on the pitch, without much surprise. “We feel the progression. Especially among the big teams, continues Sofian Kheyari. When you have a team like Al-Hilal who plays with Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Sergej Milinković-Savić or even Malcom, there is automatically less of technical waste. Collective mastery and individual quality are more important. But when the ball is less outside and ends up more in the players’ feet, there is more intensity. We feel it, it’s sure and certain .”

Karim Benzema of Al-Ittihad

Credit: Getty Images

Despite Neymar’s serious injury, Al-Hilal, who won the Asian Champions League in 2019 and 2021, is in the lead ahead of the Al-Nassr club led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané or Seko Fofana. The two teams are in the lead with respectively nine and five points ahead of Al-Ahli (3rd), reinforced this summer by the signings of Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Allan Saint-Maximin. But the real margin exists above all between the “big” clubs and the bottom of the table, even if Al-Ittihad, Karim Benzema’s team, appears less sovereign (5th) than expected or Al-Shabab (11th) is slow to find his rhythm despite the reinforcement of Yannick Carrasco.

There has always been a clear difference between the big Saudi clubs and the others.

This gap is not necessarily new, however. “There has always been a clear difference between the big Saudi clubs (Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al Ahli…) and the others, explains Sofian Kheyari. The teams at the top of the table could play in Ligue 1 On the other hand, the teams at the bottom of the table could compete for maintenance or the top of the table in National but no more. They would have difficulty existing with the intensity of the L2 for example. So, yes there is a gap but it’s not new. It’s always existed.”

If international visibility has obviously evolved with all these reinforcements, like the agreement signed by the SPL last August for the broadcast of the championship in more than 170 countries even if the enthusiasm is not either more striking on a daily basis, there were however no major upheavals in the local stadiums. The enthusiasm obviously exists but Saudi Arabia was in fact already a football land. “The big clubs have always had an audience, so there haven’t been too many changes. Teams like Al-Hilal or Al-Ittihad were already playing their home matches to sold-out crowds, even before the stars arrived. On the other hand, when the big teams move to small clubs, there are more people than before,” remarks Sofian Kheyari.

What do stars mean?

And the stars in all this on an individual level? If Riyad Mahrez is the subject of some criticism on his involvement or that Sadio Mané is going through a less prosperous period after a remarkable debut, they do not generally disappoint. The ranking of Saudi Pro League scorers looks great. In the wake of a still formidable Cristiano Ronaldo (13 goals, top scorer), Aleksandar Mitrović delights (10 goals in 11 matches) while Karim Benzema tries to guide his team (8 goals in 11 matches). “I expected a little less from Neves compared to the other big guys who arrived. But he’s one of the most successful players since he arrived. And Mitrovic, he’s a real striker. Center forwards like him, there aren’t many anymore today,” notes Sofian Kheyari.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané

Credit: Getty Images

In the lot, however, there is one downside in the eyes of Robert Mancini’s deputy: the players of the Saudi selection. “We bring back players who don’t have a lot of playing time as clubs can have eight foreigners on the field. There are then no longer many places for our players, who are rarely exported. So of course, they can realize on a daily basis what the high international level represents. But training will never replace matches. And apart from three or four players in the eleven, the others are content to return at the end of the match”, regrets Sofian Kheyari.

And it is not the next transfer window which should help to sort things out when rumors are already announcing the interest of the Saudi Pro League for big names from the Old Continent (editor’s note: Jadon Sancho and Richarlison according to The Telegraph for example this Tuesday). But for the 2034 World Cup, there is still time to find the solution to this problem.

2023-11-15 23:33:00
#CR7 #Benzema #Kanté.. #stars #Saudi #Pro #League #feel #progress