Saudi Arabia: 5 top footballers who rejected offers from Saudi Arabia this summer

Though it’s still up for debate, one of the reasons why footballers decide to move over to Saudi Arabia is because of what they stand to gain. The irresistible contract offers, and large sums of money, are sometimes very difficult to say no to.

The Saudis pulled off their biggest coup in football when they convinced Cristiano Ronaldo to come play in the Saudi Pro League. Since then, more top players have been following in his footsteps such as Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Neves, Riyad Mahrez to name a few.

But even though they have been successful in luring away some of the best talents in European football to join the league, there are still some other players who have turned them down. They still have dreams to continue playing in Europe's top five leagues and get their hands on the biggest trophies the leagues have to offer.

Without much ado, let’s take a look at five footballers who turned down offers from Saudi Arabia clubs this summer:

#5 Heung-min Son – Al Ittihad

Tottenham Hotspur's winger, Heung-min Son, was one of the Premier League stars who were courted and approached by Al Ittihad. According to Goal, the Saudi Arabian club reportedly offered him a £25 million per year contract to join them. However, their offer wasn’t accepted by the South Korean, who instantly shut them down.

With Harry Kane leaving this summer for Bayern Munich, Son is definitely going to be one of the key players at the club going into the new season. His current contract at Spurs is nowhere near the big money that he turned down. Nevertheless, Son has proven that he is playing the beautiful game of football not because of the monetary gains, but because of the passion that he has for the game and the club.

#4 Moussa Diaby – Al Nassr

The 24-year-old French winger, who secured a move to Aston Villa this summer, decided against moving to Saudi Arabia in favor of a move to the highly competitive Premier League. Diaby who had 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season, caught the attention of several clubs across Europe, who had genuine interest in signing him, with Aston Villa landing his signature.

But before sealing the deal, Aston Villa had to face stiff competition from Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr. According to a report by Daily Mail, they matched the £50 million being offered by Aston Villa in the hopes of linking him up with Cristiano Ronaldo. With both of the clubs reaching an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen on the transfer fee, the ball was in Diaby’s court, who ultimately decided to join Aston Villa in the Premier League.

#3 Luka Modric – Al Hilal

Luka Modric has been one of Real Madrid’s standout players over the years. Despite being 37 years old, he is still considered as one of Real Madrid’s greatest assets in the midfield. Haven won several titles, including multiple La Liga titles and Champions League trophies, many had thought that he would join the trend and switch over to Saudi Arabia. But surprisingly, this wasn’t the case.

According to Daily Mail, Saudi Arabian side, Al Hilal, offered him a whopping £170 million to play in the Saudi Pro league for three years. However, the Croatian veteran wasn’t moved by this offer and chose to remain at Real Madrid. Modric isn’t getting any younger. Hence, his decision to turn down the lucrative offer in order to keep challenging for more titles with Real Madrid, speaks volume about his loyalty to Los Blancos.

#2 Lionel Messi - Al Hilal

Lionel Messi, often regarded as one of the best footballers in the world also chose to reject a tempting offer from SPL side Al Hilal. With Cristiano Ronaldo already playing in the Saudi Pro League, many football fans had hoped that the rivalry between the duo would be reignited if they played in the same league again.

Upon his contract expiry with Paris Saint-Germain, Messi was subject to transfer speculations. Many clubs across Europe and beyond were all racing to secure his signature. Having conquered European football, a sensational return to his former and boyhood club Barcelona, was ruled out.

Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal and Florida-based Inter Miami, were the two clubs who were leading the race to sign him. According to Mirror, Al Hilal tried to tempt Messi into joining the Saudi Pro League by offering him an eye-watering £321 million per season to play for them. But despite the tempting nature of the offer, the Argentine maestro turned down the offer.

He opted to sign for Inter Miami, where he has already hit the ground running. In his debut game for the club, he came on as a second-half sub to score the winner through a delightful free kick.

#1 Kylian Mbappe – Al Hilal

Kylian Mbappe publicly declared that he won't be extending his contract with PSG beyond 2024. Unsurprisingly, he was on the radar of several top European clubs and some Saudi Arabian clubs are also interested in securing his services. Mbappe was immediately transfer listed by PSG, who reiterated that they have no intention of allowing one of the best players in the world, leave the club on a free transfer.

Sensing an opportunity, Saudi Arabian side, Al Hilal, reportedly offered PSG £259 million offer for the France superstar. The big task remaining was how they were going to convince Mbappe to abandon European football and switch over to the Saudi Pro League. Metro reported that Al Hilal offered him an astonishing deal with an astronomical annual wage of £604 million and as expected, it was instantly rejected by the player.

The 24-year-old even refused to have a face-to-face talk with representatives of Al Hilal, further signaling that he has no intention of joining the Saudi Pro League at this stage of his career.

Edited by Shardul Sant