The money is intended to attract more stars
League boss dreams of FCB star Musiala in Saudi Arabia
October 12, 2023, 1:20 a.m
Cristiano Ronaldo started, other world stars followed to Saudi Arabia. According to league boss Michael Emenalo, this shouldn’t be the end of it: he says there are further plans for world stars. And would like to see a DFB star play in the desert at some point.
The head of the Saudi Pro League wants to see even more football superstars in the league after this year’s transfer offensive. “I can’t reveal what the plans are. But I can tell you with certainty that many world-class players who want to get into the league are showing great interest,” said Michael Emenalo in an interview with the Münchner Merkur tz media group.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first star player to move to Al-Nassr in January, where he is expected to earn 200 million euros a year. In the summer, Saudi clubs spent more than 600 million euros on superstars such as Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané.
The Saudi league is repeatedly criticized for its high transfer fees and exorbitant salaries. Emenalo admitted: “I believe that they (the players) want to go to the Saudi Pro League because they would of course improve economically. That’s what we’re striving for everyone in our lives.”
He hopes “that these young, wonderful superstars or aspiring greats like (Jamal) Musiala, whom I absolutely admire, will one day make the decision themselves to come to us.” The players just need to be able to contribute something to the league and “bring intelligence and respect for the culture and the environment,” said Emenalo. “This is the same expectation as in Germany, in England and everywhere else where you want to create a wonderful and flourishing organization.”
Saudi Arabia has been criticized for its human rights situation and accusations of sportswashing. It was announced on Monday that the country had submitted its declaration of intent to apply for the 2034 World Cup to the world association FIFA.