Saudi Arabia’s European Soccer Shopping Spree

With his January move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo got the ball rolling on what has turned into a bonanza year for high profile players leaving Europe in favor of the extremely lucrative land now found on the Arabian Peninsula.

Since Ronaldo’s deal went through, reportedly worth up to $200 million per year, an array of top quality talent that had previously graced the pitches of Europe has also made the switch. As our infographic shows, while some of these players are already at the tail end of their careers, the Saudi Pro League is hardly turning into a soccer retirement home. The latest such player, Roberto Firmino, is just 31 years old and could have easily signed for a top side in one of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues after calling time on his silverware-laden stint at Liverpool. Rúben Neves was 26 at the time of signing for Al-Hilal and had been linked with FC Barcelona before putting pen to paper for the Saudi side.

Saudi Arabian clubs’ European shopping spree has not been limited to players, either. Following on from former Spurs manager Nuno Espírito Santo’s move to Al-Ittihad last year, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard joined Al-Ettifaq as head coach this week.

Egocentric concerns from European clubs aside, with the deals being offered threatening to distort the already overblown transfer market, there is a more pertinent worry associated with the increased involvement of Saudi Arabia in the sport. The country is in the midst of a massive, wide-reaching campaign to amplify its soft power through close association with elite sport competitions, teams and players. To put it more bluntly: sportswashing. And in soccer alone, the increasing rate with which players and fans are willing to turn a blind eye to the country’s human rights record seems to show that the plan is working.

Source: Statista