For months – even years – Saudi clubs aggressively have strived for some of the biggest names in football, from Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne to Vinicius and Rodrygo. Their goal? To convert Saudi pro league into a global football power. But now, The league’s main attraction, Cristiano Ronaldo, has provided a surprising statement about the influx of foreign players—And his words could reshape the future of football in the Middle East.
Saudi Pro League has emerged as one of football’s most ambitious competitions. While leagues such as MLS, Indian Super League and Chinese Super League have offered lucrative offers in the past, Saudi Arabia’s approach has been more aggressive and keptattract both aging legends and players in their premiere.
Ronaldos moved to al-Nassr in January 2023 marked the turning point. After his arrival like stars Neymar, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and N’Golo Kante Soon followed and strengthened Saudi Arabia’s presence on the global stage.
Economically, the league has bent its muscles and is ranked as the sixth highest spending in the latest winter transfer window, with a total outlay of $ 175 million. Since the summer of 2023, Saudi clubs have spent an astonishing $ 1.7 billion—Place the fifth globally, before Spain’s La Liga. Remarkable signings include JHON Duran from Aston Villa for $ 80 million and Galeo from Porto for $ 52 million.
Despite these eye -catching investments, the latest transfer window has been particularly quieter and raised questions about whether The Saudi football bubble begins to empty.
Ronaldo’s unexpected warning
Speculation swirls around the next wave of foreign arrivals, including potential bids for Premier League stars Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne to Real Madrid duo Vinicius and Rodrygo. However, Cristiano Ronaldo has entered the conversation with a surprising perspective.
When he spoke recently, the 40-year-old recognized the talent in Saudi Arabia and expressed concern that an overload of foreign players could limit the opportunities for local talent. According to Al-Nassr zone on (former twitter)The Ronaldo pronounced: “The more foreign players there are, the less chance it will be for the Saudi player, and I don’t like it because the Arab players are good.”
New rules, new challenges
In response to growing concerns, Saudi Pro League recently adjusted its foreign player rules. As of January 2024, clubs can register to 10 foreign players—A increase from the previous limit of eight. However, Eight of these players must be born after 2003reflects a strategic change to younger talent rather than aging superstars.
This rule change already produces results. Aston Villas Jhon Duran, only 20 years oldJoined Al-Nassr under the winter window and collaborated with Ronaldo himself. This approach is in line with Saudi Arabia’s long -term vision of developing a more competitive and sustainable league while nurturing home -grown talents.
The Independent Recently reported that Saudi football officials have chosen to stop recruiting older superstars and start focusing on developing younger players. Thus, during the transfer window in January, the law began to emphasize young talents than on well -known players, which indicates a strategy change.
