Football in Saudi Arabia has had a busy and expensive summer. When the transfer window of its top tier closed in early September, it had spent a record £767 million recruiting squad members from the world’s top football clubs.
This was more than each of the top leagues in France (£687m), Germany (£609m), Italy (£568m) and Spain (£324m). And it has sparked fears that the huge funds available to Saudi clubs could harm the quality and status of European football, for some big names have accepted lucrative offers to head to the Middle East.
Since the statement signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2023, players including Sadio Mané (who left Bayern Munich), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) and Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) have followed.
