Earlier this week, a Saudi Arabian club reportedly offered French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé the biggest contract in sports history: $776 million for just one season. Mbappé is not just any superstar, either: Already a World Cup winner and entering his prime at just 24 years old, he's wanted by the world's richest clubs, and his name has rarely been linked to a move to the Saudi league before. But the Arab nation has already signed other soccer greats—most notably the highly decorated Cristiano Ronaldo—and it made a play for Argentine legend Lionel Messi just weeks ago.
Change is clearly afoot, and the bold moves are emblematic of the soft power that Saudi Arabia is seeking to buy with its deep pockets.
