Saudi Pro League: Ronaldo, Benzema lead revolution in Asian football

English Premier League teams may be struggling to come to terms with Saudi Arabian clubs moving for some of their biggest names but fans in Riyadh, Jeddah and many other big cities of the Middle East and Asia are also having to adjust to football’s new reality.

Since Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr – one of the ‘Big Four’ clubs along with bitter Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal and Jeddah giants Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli – in December, the country has been in the international football spotlight and the club’s yellow shirt is an increasingly familiar sight in Europe and beyond.

“Watching ‘The Yellow’ spreading across the world is so satisfying and pleasing to me but I also feel loyal to the local league,” Nassr fan Jana Mohammed tells BBC Sport.

“Seeing player after player agreeing to sign with any Saudi team makes me more excited. It’s really thrilling to witness such quality in our league.”

Talents such as N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Jota have joined champions Ittihad to work with coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

Hilal, the 18-time title winners, made bids for Lionel Messi and Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic and have signed Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Meanwhile, Roberto Firmino and Edouard Mendy left the Premier League to become Al-Ahli players, with Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez set to join them soon.

Expectations are building before the new season starts in August.

“It is clear that the new football season will be a strong one with a lot of big football names that will undoubtedly be great additions,” adds Al-Hilal fan Ayman Al-Hatami.

“As for Al-Hilal, we are satisfied with our new signings as we aspire to be stronger and achieve a better position. As usual, we are the first candidate for every championship.”

Who’s who in the Saudi Pro League?
Ronaldo has talked up the potential of the Saudi Pro League to become one of the top-five competitions in the world and, while that is debatable, there is little doubt that in terms of profile it is the biggest in the Middle East and Asia.

“Europe lost a lot of quality,” the Portugal captain said recently.

“The only one that is one of the best is the Premier League; the Spanish league lost its level, the Portuguese one is not ‘top’, the German one also lost a lot of quality.

“The USA? No, the Saudi championship is much better than the USA. In one year, more and more top players will come to Saudi. In a year the Saudi league will overtake the Turkish league and Dutch league.”

Impact on Middle East and North Africa
The big four Saudi Arabian teams, who were taken over in June by the country’s Public Investment Fund, have long had financial strength in regional and continental terms.

Now all 18 teams in the top tier, newly expanded from 16, have the ability to rival any in the Arab world.

Former Rangers and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has taken over mid-ranking team Ettifaq, who have been linked with another Liverpool legend in captain Jordan Henderson and are reportedly ready to make him one of the best-paid players in the world.

If they are able to offer a package so attractive that it lures Liverpool’s captain from Anfield, it is a stark reality for others in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Storied clubs such as Al-Ahly and Zamalek of Egypt, with 16 continental championships between them, Wydad Casablanca in Morocco as well as Tunisian and Algerian clubs have massive support.

But they are increasingly losing big names to Saudi Arabia, with Egypt players Ahmed Hegazi and Tarek Hamed moving to Al-Ittihad.

Even the region’s biggest stars such as Algeria’s Mahrez and Morocco’s Hakim Ziyech have been closely linked with Saudi moves.

Teams in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have signed big-name players in the past but do not have the fan bases of their big Saudi rivals or the same strength in depth.

Karim Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, joined Al-Ittihad in June Saudi league set to dominate in Asia?
With the national team appearing at six World Cups as well as winning two Asian Cups and with clubs winning the Asian Champions League six times, Saudi Arabia has always been a regional and continental powerhouse.

The country’s new financial power in football has, however, put it on a completely different level on the pitch.

South Korea’s K-League is the most successful in terms of Asian club titles but even big teams such as Ulsan Hyundai Horangi, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings – thanks to their corporate backing – have never had pockets deep enough to sign big overseas names.

China’s league did make headlines and waves in the previous decade but the days when it rivalled the Premier League in terms of spending are over and, after a number of bankruptcies, clubs are more focused on survival.

Japan is Saudi Arabia’s rival in terms of being the best league in Asia on the pitch but it is falling behind in terms of profile and star power.

Never has an Asian league had such ambition and deep pockets.

‘Cristiano did what it takes years to do’
Al-Nassr have witnessed a surge in shirt sales, mainly bearing Ronaldo’s name
Star players do not only bring more quality but are also designed to result in more fans, broadcast deals, sponsorship, merchandise sales and investment.

Saudi Arabia’s target is that the league will be in the world’s top 10 in terms of revenue generation by 2030.

Already, there are positive commercial signs.

Al-Nassr play Benfica on Thursday then face Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan in Japan later this month.

The club have also signed a shirt deal with Nike, with an official telling the BBC the American sportswear giants can help ensure the yellow shirts worn around the world are official.

In November, there were 10,000 visits to the merchandise page of the club’s website. In January – the month Ronaldo signed – that number had increased to 300,000.

“We have seen more Al-Nassr shirts since last season and it’s increasing so much,” says Mohammed.

“Cristiano did immediately what it takes marketing campaigns and trophies many years to do.

“We played against Celta [on Monday] and many fans were there wearing Nassr’s shirt with Cristiano’s name on the back and Nassr’s logo on the front.

“It’s all about raising the bar, it’s such an improvement.”

BBC