Saudi Arabia wants the world’s biggest sports stars and it isn’t afraid to pay big bucks to win them over. And according to one of the world's most popular athletes, no one else can compete.
The country is investing billions into its fledgling sports scene. As well as building huge stadiums and sponsoring and hosting major events, Saudi Arabia has spent a fortune to poach star athletes from legacy teams.
However, the country—which has in the past been hit with a series of allegations of human rights abuses—has been accused of “sportswashing,” or using sport to distract from its divisive image.
Saudi’s human rights record has also led to criticism of star athletes who have accepted huge paychecks to move to the country and play for its teams.
In an interview with Bloomberg published on Friday, English cricketer Ben Stokes defended the decisions of the sportspeople who have relocated to Saudi Arabia for work.
“You can’t compete with money, especially the money that Saudi Arabia is throwing around to certain people,” said Stokes, who captains the English cricket side. “People can be at different points in their lives and different points in their careers, where other things matter more to them than other things.”
A spokesperson for the Saudi Arabian government was not available to comment on Stokes’s comments or the allegations of sportswashing that have been made against the country.
Saudi push into sport
Cricket is the world’s second-most popular sport after soccer, with a huge following in countries like India, the U.K. and Australia—and Saudi Arabia has made no secret of its intentions to establish itself as a hub for the game.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud said officials wanted to make Saudi Arabia “a global cricketing destination.”
Meanwhile, Australian media reported in April that Saudi Arabia was thinking about starting its very own cricket tournament in a bid to attract some of the sport’s most followed players.
State-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco—one of the world’s most valuable companies, which was ranked second in Fortune’s latest Global 500 list—will sponsor the 2023 Cricket World Cup, which kicks off in October.
A Saudi cricket tournament would mark yet another move in the country’s bid to make waves in the world of sport. The country has already pumped money into Formula 1 motor racing, boxing, golf and soccer.
Saudi’s Public Investment Fund bought a majority stake in English Premier League club Newcastle United in 2021 for around £300 million ($380 million), but its major investment in domestic sports has seen big names like F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo competing on its home turf.
Saudi Arabia’s push to become a major sporting hotspot comes as the oil-rich nation looks to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels.
As part of that strategy, the country has proven its willingness to splash out on massive salaries for big-name sports stars.
Ronaldo, who made his debut for Saudi soccer side Al-Nassr in January, signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club that will reportedly net the Portuguese icon as much as $200 million a year.
Meanwhile, Brazilian footballer Neymar, who recently joined Saudi’s Al-Hilal from elite French club Paris St Germain, will reportedly earn 160 million euros ($174 million) from playing in Saudi Arabia.
Here to shine ✨
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) August 15, 2023
“Neymar” in the famous BLUE and WHITE 🔵⚪️#Neymar_Hilali 🤩💙 pic.twitter.com/xfWQHPsgTF
Not all of the star athletes the country has attempted to woo have accepted its offers, however.
Golf icon Tiger Woods reportedly turned down at least $700 million to play in the Saudi-funded LIV golf tournament.
Meanwhile, a string of soccer players has reportedly said no to Saudi money—including Lionel Messi, one of the sport’s most famous faces, who rejected an offer from Al-Hilal this year in favor of U.S. club Inter Miami.
Messi was reportedly offered a deal worth $545 million a year to play in Saudi Arabia, but accepted a paycheck worth up to $60 million per season from the Floridian side instead.
“If it had been a matter of money I would have gone to [Saudi] Arabia or elsewhere,” Messi told Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo in June. “It seemed like a lot of money to me, and the truth is that my decision went another way and not for money.”
