One year ago, Saudi Arabia rocked the foundations of the football world.
Clubs in the kingdom embarked on an unprecedented spending spree, signing 97 players at a combined cost just shy of $1 billion.
Star names including Karim Benzema, Neymar, Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, N'Golo Kante, Malcom and Aleksandar Mitrovic followed the path of trailblazer Cristiano Ronaldo in leaving the prestige of European football to join the revolution taking shape in the Saudi Pro League.
Benzema was the reigning Ballon d'Or winner and a serial collector of titles with Real Madrid, Neymar the costliest player in history; Laporte a treble winner at Manchester City, Mane a leading light in the Senegal team that won the Africa Cup of Nations less than 18 months earlier, and so on.
Some players decided not to join, notably Mohamed Salah. Al Ittihad, the 2022 Saudi champions, reportedly tabled a £150 million offer for the Egyptian's services. Salah's club, Liverpool, stood firm. He was not for sale.
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Brazilian superstar Neymar enters the pitch during his unveiling at Al Hilal in Riyadh on Saturday, August 19, 2023. AFP -
New signing Neymar is presented to Al Hilal fans at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Reuters -
Light show at the King Fahd International Stadium to welcome Al Hilal's new signing Neymar. Reuters -
Neymar during his unveiling in Riyadh on Saturday. AFP -
Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou enters the pitch as he is presented to Al Hilal fans. AFP -
Al Hilal fans created a giant tifo. Photo: SPL -
Brazilian forward Malcom greets fans as he enters the pitch during his unveiling. AFP
That was not expected to be the end of the matter. SPL director of football Michael Emenalo said as much last September. Many expected renewed attempts to prise Salah away from Anfield, but there have been few signs of any serious bids, with reports the 32-year-old is set to sign a contract extension with the Premier League side.
Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is another target, telling HLN: "At my age, you have to be open to everything."
De Bruyne, whose contract expires in 2025, said last month that he is not ruling out a move but City manager Pep Guardiola, speaking during the club's pre-season tour of the USA, is adamant the Belgian is staying put. He was less committal about the future of goalkeeper Ederson, who has also attracted interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Tottenham striker Richarlison has also resisted overtures, saying his desire to play in the Premier League and for his national team Brazil outweighs any financial incentive to move to the kingdom.
Transfer activity in Saudi Arabia had been notably quieter this summer until Tuesday's reports that the country's Public Investment Fund had tabled a blockbuster €1 billion offer to lure Ballon d'Or frontrunner Vinicius Jr.
The Real Madrid and Brazil striker, 24, is said to be open to discussing the offer, worth a reported €200m a season plus bonuses over five years, according to Reuters.
Vinicius' contract at the Bernabeu runs to 2027, but given Real have just signed Kylian Mbappe, another high-priority target for the Saudi Pro League over the past 12 months, it is unlikely the Spanish champions would be willing to entertain any approach.
Luring one of the best players in the world would be in keeping with the league's remit of attracting top talent, while Vinicius' age also means there is still more room for development, another key goal for the Saudi league.
Whether Vinicius decides to swap the the Spanish league for Saudi Arabia – ESPN and Reuters reported that Al Ahli are the club he is proposed to join – news of the bid could spark a flurry of activity in what has been a comparatively quiet transfer window so far.
Champions Al Hilal and Al Ittihad have made no signings at all. Players generally considered nearing the end of their careers, such as Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Spain defender Nacho, have made the move to the Gulf kingdom. Others, such as Aston Villa winger Moussa Diaby and Algeria midfielder Houssem Aouar, still have their peak years ahead of them.
While Diaby and Auoar joined Al Ittihad (for fees of €60m and €12m respectively), Aubameyang and Nacho made the move to Al Qadsiah, a regional mid-table team backed by the national oil company Saudi Aramco.
The "Big Four" – Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Ittithad and Al Ahli – have the financial backing of the PIF. But changes announced in July by the Ministry of Sport approved fresh investment at 14 more clubs.
More moves are anticipated in the coming weeks. A relatively quiet summer to date can be attributed to both the European Championship and the Copa America running into the middle of July.
It would be naive to think that Saudi Arabia has suddenly lost interest in transforming the Pro League into one of the world's top leagues – or that PIF no longer has the means to turn that dream into a reality.
Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup – the deal for Vinicius reportedly includes a separate 10-year contract to become an ambassador for the World Cup – and a strong domestic league is vital to broader objectives to make the country an international sports hub.
Diaby and Auoar's signings are telling also because of their ages. Diaby, 25, and Auoar, 26, show a shift in focus to helping nurture young talent instead of only lavishing huge outlays on proven star names.
“We have to raise the level of training and development of young players coming through,” Emanalo told the SPL website in December. “I want to make sure that, professionally, we are competing against and with the best."
Though the signings of Aubameyang, fresh off a stellar season at Marseille, and Nacho, the Real Madrid stalwart who helped guide Spain to the 2024 Euros title, have garnered most of the attention, Al Qadsiah's recruitment of Ezequiel Fernandez (22) and Julian Quinones (27), from Boca Juniors and America, respectively, shows Saudi clubs want to establish themselves as destination where players can develop, too.
