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While the Saudi Pro League has raided major European clubs this summer, not one deal comes close to Neymar's transfer to Al Hilal. The Brazilian will join Saudi Arabia's most successful club in a record €90 million deal that would draw curtains to his European career for good.
Saudi Pro League's incursions in major European leagues have raised questions over Europe's ability to be the powerhouse of football. The European continent has been the home of the most popular game in the world. But Saudi Pro League has taken giant strides in challenging Europe's domination.
The clubs from Saudi Pro League have signed close to 30 players from major European leagues this summer. And since the summer transfer window will remain open till the 31st of August, a horde of summer exits could still take place.
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However, despite Saudi Pro League's emergence, there is still a wave of optimism surrounding the game's future in Europe. So, without any further ado, let's look at three reasons why the Saudi Pro League is not a threat to European football.
#3 Players past their prime
If one simply goes through the big players that have signed deals with Saudi clubs, then the Saudi Pro League can be termed the best league in the world.
The likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sadio Mane, etc. recently joined the SPL on huge contracts. However, it has to be noted that not one player from the ever-growing list has joined the league at the peak of his powers.
The decline of Cristiano Ronaldo has been rather steep, whereas both Sadio Mane and Neymar left their clubs after an underwhelming season. Besides, both players fell out of favor at Bayern and PSG respectively, and it was clear that both were not likely to feature heavily in their clubs' plans.
The likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Eduard Mendy, and Kalidou Koulibaly also had hugely disappointing seasons with Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively. As a result, a transfer was imminent for all these players.
Besides, all these players had nothing left to achieve in Europe. While Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema achieved immense success with Real Madrid, Fabinho and Henderson scaled heights with Liverpool. Neymar, too, had trophy-laden stints at both PSG and Barcelona.
And unless a big football star decides to join the SPL in his prime, the league will always be considered a retirement league.
#2 European clubs are not short on money
The transfer market has never been the same since Neymar's world-record move to PSG from Barcelona. Neymar's transfer to PSG has been the inflection point as since then, transfers over €100m have become a norm rather than an exception.
Since Neymar's world record move, around 15 deals having transfer expenses over €100m have occurred. Before that, only Gareth Bale's move to Real and Paul Pogba's move to Manchester United came close to such exorbitant sums.
Even the COVID-19 pandemic has been unable to stop the big clubs from spending big on players. The fact that Chelsea spent nearly €1 billion in only three transfer windows speaks volumes about the financial might of big European clubs.
The biggest clubs in Europe are not afraid to dish out large sums of money for the players they desire. Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bryune, for example, are one of the biggest earners in the Premier League history. Besides, Ronaldo and Bale were among the highest earners during their second stint in the Premier League.
#1 Pride and Ambition
There is a reason why both Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane avoided a move to Saudi Pro League this summer.
Kane's move to Bayern is all about both his and Bayern's ambitions. He was desperate to win major silverware at Spurs whereas Bayern were desperate to strengthen their position after a mediocre season in Germany and Europe.
Kane could easily have joined one of the biggest clubs in Saudi and received a fat paycheck. However, he chose to remain in Europe because he has some unfinished business in terms of winning major silverware.
Kylian Mbappe too rejected a big-money move to Al Hilal because he is yet to win the UEFA Champions League once. And even PSG were ready to sell Mbappe only because they didn't want to lose the best player in the world for free.
Footballers don't just play for money; they play for their pride and ambitions as well. The best players also care a lot about their legacy and they know that they'll always be remembered for what they achieved in Europe.
Saudi Arabian League is nowhere close to the legacy of European clubs and the prestige of winning the Champions League. And unless they come significantly close to replicating that legacy, Saudi clubs won't be a threat to the European clubs.
