<\/p>\n
On a searingly sunny day in 1978, Brazil football superstar Rivelino stepped off a Concorde aeroplane in Riyadh to a massive roar from thousands of fans waving the flag of Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.<\/p>\n
He was ushered to a Rolls Royce and taken to a luxurious royal palace, where he was treated to a banquet hosted by members of the Saudi royal family.<\/p>\n
The Brazil legend was, alongside Pele, a standout of the 1970 World Cup-winning side that is widely viewed as the greatest national team in history. When Saudi Arabia came calling in \u201878, he boasted 100 caps for the national team and wore the captain\u2019s armband.<\/p>\n
Watch every match of The ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup Live on Kayo Sports. Starts THU 5 OCT 7:30PM AEDT. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly ><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Six Countries to host 2030 World Cup! | 01:30<\/p>\n On that evening in Riyadh, he inked his signature on a multimillion-dollar contract that came with lavish bonuses: a brand-new Mercedes, a $10,000-a-month living allowance, and a royal\u2019s palace in which to live.<\/p>\n One of the world\u2019s finest and most well-known players had been wooed by money and luxury.<\/p>\n Forty-five years later the parallels are clear. Saudi Arabia is again embarking upon a transformational project to boost its local sporting industry and shake up the established global order, and football is at its core.<\/p>\n Instead of Rivelino, it\u2019s Ronaldo. Cristiano, one of the greatest players of all time and one of the most famous figures in world sport, began an exodus of top players to Saudi Arabia when he signed for state-owned Al-Nassr in January for a reported \u20ac200 million ($A330 million) per year.<\/p>\n Like Rivelino, Ronaldo was the first drop in what has quickly become a flood \u2013 one that some believe poses an \u2018existential threat\u2019 to the traditional leagues of Europe including the Premier League.<\/p>\n Indeed, in the just-concluded transfer window, only the Premier League spent more money on transfer fees than the Saudi league\u2019s combined $1 billion-plus USD outlay.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a staggering figure, especially since the overwhelming majority came straight from government coffers \u2013 and it doesn\u2019t include the staggering world-record wages being doled out. Wages included, Saudi Arabian teams may have even spent more than the Premier League this year.<\/p>\n The story of Saudi Arabia\u2019s sporting investment began in 1978, but it\u2019s just getting started. And it\u2019s already having a massive impact on the world of sport.<\/p>\n HOW MUCH IS SAUDI ARABIA SPENDING \u2026 AND ON WHAT?<\/b><\/p>\n From January 2021 to July 2023, the country spent at least $6.3bn USD ($A9.74bn) on sports, according to data from The <\/i>Guardian<\/i>. It represents an exponential growth on the estimated $1.5bn the nation spent on the industry between 2014 and early 2021, based on analysis from Grant Liberty.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a mind-blowing outlay, but the real figure of their recent spending is likely even higher given a shroud of secrecy surrounds the investment activities of the nation\u2019s Public Investment Fund and its reported $620 billion USD in assets.<\/p>\n But what is evident is that the nation isn\u2019t just targeting one sport, but investing in almost every code you can imagine \u2013 from motorsports to horseracing, boxing to handball, tennis to chess.<\/p>\n WWE wrestling events have been held in the nation since 2014, while the desert nation has even turned its attention to winter sports, reviving the Asian Winter Games that have not been held since 2017 with a successful bid to host the games in 2029.<\/p>\n That\u2019s despite the winter temperatures at the proposed hosting location going down to minimums of just three degrees \u2013 hardly ideal for snow sports. <\/p>\n But when money is no object, even the weather isn\u2019t a problem.<\/p>\n Even Esports are in the sights of the Saudis. The Guardian\u2019s $6.3bn USD appraisal of Saudi Arabian sports spending didn\u2019t include the billion dollars PIF invested in video game company Embracer Group, or the eight per cent stake they picked up in Nintendo, as well as multiple major events being held in the nation.<\/p>\n All this is to show the sweeping breadth of Saudi Arabia\u2019s stratagem \u2013 one as calculated as it is audacious.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a sports strategy that is as comprehensive and more detailed than any other in the world,\u201d a sporting executive told The Guardian <\/i>under the condition of anonymity. \u201cIt is not a fad, this is not just some rich man\u2019s whim.\u201d<\/p>\n The first major disruption of the global sporting landscape came in October 2021 when the PIF founded LIV Golf, a rival to the PGA Tour that quickly handed out astronomical pay cheques to convince players to defect.<\/p>\n Phil Mickelson was paid a reported $200 million USD in guaranteed money and Dustin Johnson $125m, with Forbes claiming half of each player\u2019s figure was paid upfront. Tiger Woods was offered around $700-800 million. All up, LIV cost an estimated $2 billion USD to found.<\/p>\n It sparked a golfing civil war, with verbal barbs and lawsuits being fired back and forth like archers\u2019 volleys. But the Saudis would not relent, and the bitter dispute appears headed to a civil conclusion that will see a new organisation formed to unite golf under one banner \u2013 with Saudi Arabia to gain at least a minority stake to the tune of at least another billion dollars.<\/p>\n The long-running and high-stakes LIV saga explains much of Saudi Arabia\u2019s strategy to reshape the sports world: to disrupt the established order with spending that cannot be matched by the traditional authorities, forcing them to make major concessions \u2013 and to cede a significant degree of influence and power to the Middle Eastern monarchy.<\/p>\n That approach has now also been taken towards boxing and mixed martial arts, with the Saudis reportedly investing $100 million USD into a UFC rival in the Professional Fighters League, the body which has recently signed superstar fighters Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul. Saudi Arabia is expected to host multiple PFL pay-per-view events in 2024.<\/p>\n In other cases, Saudi Arabia is happy to use its money to operate within the established structures, rather than seeking to create or back opposing competitions.<\/p>\n In December, the ATP\u2019s Next Gen finals will be held in Jeddah after a four-year deal to host the year-end tennis tournament.<\/p>\n In Formula One, another key focus of Saudi Arabia\u2019s sporting investment, Saudi Arabia pays a reported $65 million USD to host a grand prix in Jeddah each year. But it also sponsors Formula One to the tune of $40-45m annually, as well as the Aston Martin team, both through the Saudi state-owned company Aramco. Aramco is the world\u2019s largest oil company and the world\u2019s second-largest company by revenue, with an annual revenue over half a trillion USD. <\/p>\n That funding also isn\u2019t included in the Guardian\u2019s estimate of $6.3bn USD spent by Saudi Arabia on sports since early 2021. Nor is their deal with the International Cricket Council that makes Aramco title sponsors of every ICC event including the upcoming Cricket World Cup. Aramco also has a partnership with Chinese basketball and is the backer of a fledgling women\u2019s golf tour.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the PIF that is pouring money into sports \u2013 the nation is using every financial arm at its disposal to grow its stake in the world of sport.<\/p>\n For all the sports the nation has invested in, there\u2019s no doubt that football remains at the core of their strategy.<\/p>\n The primary reason is simple: it\u2019s the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia \u2013 and the world.<\/p>\n WHAT HAPPENED IN FOOTBALL?<\/b><\/p>\n Saudi Arabia really announced themselves in the world of football when they purchased Premier League club Newcastle in October 2021 for around \u00a3300m, having strongly considered a takeover of Manchester United in the months before that deal was confirmed.<\/p>\n The nation had brought some major football events to Saudi soil before then \u2013 the Spanish Super Cup has been played in Jeddah since 2019 \u2013 but this was a major step forward.<\/p>\n The PIF then signed sponsorship deals with Saudi Pro League clubs worth a reported \u00a31.8bn, before taking full control of four of the largest teams, paving the way for an unprecedented spending spree.<\/p>\n Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January for a reported \u20ac200 million per season plus a \u20ac100m signing bonus.<\/p>\n It kickstarted a stunning assault on the transfer market by the four state-owned clubs in the recent transfer window that closed earlier this month.<\/p>\n This window, Premier League clubs splashed out a record \u20ac2.8 billion on players, with a net spend of \u20ac1.278bn. Saudi Pro League clubs were second, spending \u20ac956.88m with a net spend of \u20ac892m.<\/p>\n The spending is an exponential increase from last season, when the Saudi Pro League\u2019s expenditure was the 20th highest in the world with a net spend of just \u20ac34.15m.<\/p>\n This year, they blew that figure out of the water \u2013 and their \u20ac892m net spend doesn\u2019t even include the extraordinary wages being handed out.<\/p>\n 94 foreign players arrived, and the list of high-profile players who joined the four state-owned clubs is immensely impressive.<\/p>\n SIGNINGS FROM FOUR BIGGEST CLUBS<\/b><\/p>\n Al-Ahli: Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Franck Kessie (Barcelona)<\/i><\/p>\n Al-Hilal: Neymar (PSG), Malcom (Zenit St Petersburg), Ruben Neves (Wolves), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio)<\/i><\/p>\n Al-Ittihad: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), N\u2019Golo Kante (Chelsea), Fabinho (Liverpool), Jota (Celtic)<\/i><\/p>\n Al-Nassr: Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich), Otavio (Porto), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Alex Telles (Manchester United), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan).<\/i><\/p>\n In fact, more than 90 per cent of Saudi Pro League spending came from the four clubs owned by the PIF.<\/p>\n Al Hilal\u2019s \u20ac351.72m net spend was more than any other club in the world, while Al-Ahli was second with \u20ac195.75m \u2013 just above Chelsea.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, four rival Saudi clubs broke even or made money. Another four had a net spend less than \u20ac2m.<\/p>\n Sure, a couple of the privately-owned clubs did spend money. Al Ettifaq signed Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Dembele and Demarai Gray, as well as the legendary Steven Gerrard as coach. But their net spend was still just \u20ac36m.<\/p>\n Al Shabab spent around \u20ac15m, signing the likes of Habib Diallo and Yannick Carrasco.<\/p>\n Outside of that, you\u2019d need to be something of a football nerd to recognise any other names who joined the Saudi league.<\/p>\n Effectively, four clubs are spending like Premier League giants, and another two like minnows from the top five leagues. The rest are still operating on a relatively minuscule budget. This isn\u2019t an entire league outspending the rest of Europe, but rather a handful of clubs with almost unlimited funding \u2013 and no financial fair play rules to follow.<\/p>\n ARE THEY JUST BUYING HAS-BEENS?<\/b><\/p>\n There was another key trend in the biggest clubs\u2019 spending \u2013 age. The majority of signings were players in their late 20s or their 30s, ones with prestige and popularity and plenty of skill to boot. <\/p>\n Ronaldo is 38, reigning Ballon d\u2019Or winner Karim Benzema 35, Jordan Henderson 33, and so on. <\/p>\n Many of the players remain in the prime of their careers, however, and Saudi clubs fought off interest from even Premier League clubs or heavyweights like Barcelona to sign them.<\/p>\n That was the case for players like Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ruben Neves, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.<\/p>\n But if you look at younger players, Saudi Arabia is not an attractive destination \u2013 yet.<\/p>\n According to the player grading system from Twenty First Group consultancy, Saudi clubs signed just two of the 100 best players under 26 years old that moved this transfer window.<\/p>\n That\u2019s compared to the SPL signing 15 of the top 100 players overall that moved this window (second to the Premier League\u2019s 28).<\/p>\n Aleksander Ceferin, the head of European football\u2019s organising body UEFA, took aim at the Saudi transfers by saying they were only landing \u201cplayers at the end of their careers and others who aren\u2019t ambitious enough to aspire to the \u2018top\u2019 competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as I know, [Kylian] Mbappe and [Erling] Haaland don\u2019t dream of Saudi Arabia,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe that the best players at the pinnacle of their careers would go to Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people talk to me about the players who went there, nobody knows where they\u2019re playing.\u201d<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s Al-Hilal had a world-record \u20ac300m bid rejected for Mbappe \u2013 plus a one-year contract with a basic wage worth \u20ac200m alongside up to \u20ac700m in commercial and image rights.<\/p>\n The 24-year-old\u2019s refusal to even talk with Al-Hilal shows that for elite young players, Saudi Arabia isn\u2019t an attractive footballing proposition. And all the money in the world isn\u2019t enough to convince players to give up on playing for the world\u2019s biggest clubs.<\/p>\n For now, the majority of players that Saudi Arabia has signed are high-profile ageing stars. But as the quality of the competition grows \u2013 and it certainly has already \u2013 European leagues will become increasingly fearful that young talent will be lured by money as well as the chance to play alongside the likes of Ronaldo or Neymar.<\/p>\n Watch every match of The ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup Live on Kayo Sports. Starts THU 5 OCT 7:30PM AEDT. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly ><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n