“As in life, many people do not accept changes. Football is not dead. Saudi Arabia did not kill it. Or is that what the Premier League does when Aston Villa signs Villarreal starters like Pau Torres? Or when Bayern takes talent from Germany? Journalists may fear the shift because the actors move beyond their usual focus. Still, a multipolar world allows more stories told in fresh ways.
To understand what is happening in this summer market with Saudi Arabia, it helps to consult key voices such as Abdulaziz Al Rabah. He has led the sports desk at Al Arabiya, a 24-hour Arabic news channel, for a decade. Having covered the sport from its local roots to global stages, his perspective reaches from nearby leagues to the world stage. His experience includes work with major outlets and a nuanced view shaped by years in the field.
Behind the Prime Minister in transfer expenditures
Until recently, Al Rabah and many fans watched stars on television. Today, they are seeing them in home leagues after the historic transfer window closed this Thursday. The period featured 279 deals with joint spending around 955 million euros. European clubs were kept guessing until the last moment. Betis lost Luiz Felipe but earned 22 million euros plus potential add-ons, while Al-Ittihad paid a premium for a central defender.
Saudi clubs spent more than double La Liga on transfers, yet they still trail the Premier League in overall dealing activity. This summary does not capture the full picture, which includes investments backed by state strategy. The moves show how a country can turn oil into a broad investment portfolio. The industry now demonstrates the capacity to attract top players at any career stage.
The approach here is not about copying projects from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, or China. It is a deliberate program to attract talent in a manner similar to the US MLS, but with a distinct strategy driven by a vision of a league playing a global role, with Leo Messi serving as a symbolic anchor for many years.
This is the other part of non European multipolar leagues, where Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a major early blow. The legend himself stated that changes in football history are underway, reflecting a dual challenge that drives the sport forward. The list of signatures arriving after early-year arrivals in Arabia underscores this momentum.
How Gabri Veiga’s signing broke the paradigm
At the top of the spending list is Neymar Jr., who left PSG for Al-Hilal in a deal around 90 million. Every foreign signing is treated as part of a larger national project aimed at creating a league among the world’s top ten, even as some observers question whether the moves amount to sports washing. The state aims to attract global attention through a broad project designed to culminate in World Cup momentum. Neymar, Malcolm, Otávio, Rúben Neves, Mitrovic, Fabinho, Milinkovic-Savic, Gabri Veiga, Mahrez, and Roger Ibañez stand as ambassadors of this initiative.
Gabri Veiga, once a jewel of Celta and a member of Spain’s under-21s, moved to Al-Ahli despite Napoli’s interest. The deal pockets near 40 million across three seasons and keeps Veiga in consideration for the national team, suggesting Saudi football readiness to compete globally.
Veiga is praised as one of the world’s top talents, and his decision to join Al-Ahli marks a shift that signals a wider opportunity for Saudi football. This move is viewed by many as confirmation that the Saudi Pro League offers a real career path, distinct from experiences in places such as China where the aim often centers more on promotion than fan engagement.
The sports desk head stresses that Saudi Arabia wants football to be a vital aspect of daily life. The league began attracting stars in the 1970s, and after the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, names such as Rivelino joined the league. That early bet by Al-Hilal, one of the country’s biggest clubs, included bringing in legends to coach and compete at the highest level. The result is a deep football culture that continues to shape the sport today.
Audiovisual broadcasting will become a “global league”
The summer market also brought new foreign coaches and players to Saudi shores. The Italian Roberto Mancini left a national team role to lead a squad capable of beating Argentina and later becoming a world champion in form. This transition marked a public display of evolution and the first major result of a larger plan that began years earlier.
The regional view shows a pattern: players who helped drive the World Cup in Russia arrived as the project gained speed. Names like André Carrillo, Nordin Amrabat, Ahmed Musa, Bafétimbi Gomis, and Ever Banega illustrate this international pull. The aim has always been to create a truly global competition rather than a simple domestic league.
Exhibitions and matches are essential to this expansion. Agreements with broadcast operators and streaming platforms ensure wide visibility, with open coverage in some regions and partnerships across others. The goal is clear: prove that the Saudi project is more than a domestic trend and that it can stand as a major global sports story, built on the same core values that have driven football as a mass spectacle for decades.
Carrasco and the transition from meritocracy to job security
There are five to six live football programs on screen each day, with long interviews that stretch late into the night. Social platforms amplify every match, creating a torrent of discussion. The reality in the Arab market echoes this passion: fans devote enormous energy to the sport, even when extreme heat complicates the schedule.
The latest move, Yannick Carrasco from Atlético to Al-Shabab, underscores a shift in the game. Players often speak of security and smart choices. Being a footballer is a job, and some players emphasize mental freedom as crucial for long seasons filled with demanding schedules. The shift away from pure meritocracy toward a balance of performance and security marks a broader evolution in football culture. Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of this change, a process described by media observers as only just beginning.