The summer of 2023 will go down as the one where Saudi Arabia made a sensational entry into the football transfer market. Stars, not always at the end of their careers, have joined Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad, four clubs (out of the 18 in the championship) owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), tool of the Gulf monarchy to extend its soft power, among others. Return to a transfer window like no other.

According to the specialized site Transfermarkt, €956 million was spent by Saudi clubs on the purchase of players this summer, including €835 million by the “big four” mentioned above alone. A total higher than most major European championships, including Germany (€748 million), Italy (€857 million) and France (€907 million). The Premier League remains in its world: 2.8 billion euros. However, these figures only concern transfer fees. Where Saudi Arabia has done well is on salaries.

The craziest figures are circulating regarding the income of Neymar, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. Some sources mention €100 million/year for each of them, others speak of double. One thing seems certain, they are the three highest paid footballers in the world. Slightly less highly rated players (Sadio Mané, Marcelo Brozovic, Riyad Mahrez, etc.) would receive between €25 and €45 million per year. In France, only Kylian Mbappé (around €72 million/year) and Ousmane Dembélé (€20 million/year) compete.

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As has been said, Saudi recruitment was mainly concentrated among the four clubs owned by the PIF. Al-Ettifaq and Al-Shabab have also done crazy things. For the rest, you can always find one or two well-known names here and there, like Jason Denayer in Al-Fateh or Grzegorz Krychowiak and Karl Toko Ekambi in Abha.

Al-Hilal: Bono, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom, Neymar, Aleksandar Mitrovic

Al-Ahli : Edouard Mendy, Merih Demiral, Roger Ibanez, Gabri Veiga, Franck Kessié, Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint-Maximin, Roberto Firmino

Al-Nassr: David Ospina, Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, Talisca, Otavio, Sadio Mané, Cristiano Ronaldo

Al-Ittihad : Luiz Felipe, Fabinho, N’Golo Kanté, Jota, Karim Benzema

Al-Ettifaq: Marcel Tisserand, Georgia Henderson, Demaray Gray and Moussa Dembele

Al-Shabab: Romain Saïss, Gustavo Cuéllar, Ever Banega, Yannick Carrasco, Habib Diallo

Saudi Arabia’s favorite store is in England. 13 Premier League players joined the Saudi Pro League this summer, including three players from Liverpool (Fabinho, Henderson and Firmino) and Chelsea (Mendy, Koulibaly and Kanté). Followed by Serie A and Ligue 1, which each saw 7 players exile to the Arabian Peninsula. La Liga, for its part, let slip 6 elements in Saudi D1. Finally, only one Bundesliga player took the plunge, but not the least: Sadio Mané, 2022 Ballon d’Or runner-up, from Bayern Munich.

Yes. So far, a Saudi Pro League club to register, at most, eight players of foreign nationality. But it’s a safe bet that the limit will soon be increased, or even eliminated. Portuguese winger Jota, recruited at the beginning of July by Al-Ittihad, was not registered in the league, even though he cost nearly €30 million. Rumor has it that he is a collateral victim of this regulation. Complete freedom in squad construction would only increase the possibilities for Saudi Arabia. Bad news for Europe. “We will have to somehow control this talent drain,” warned Rodri, Spanish midfielder for Manchester City.

In the past, other countries (China, Russia, United States, etc.) have tried to penetrate the world of football with millions. But never has a championship brought together so many great players in such a short time. If some appear to be in decline, others will still last. Neymar remains the leader of the Brazilian selection, like Ronaldo for Portugal, Mané for Senegal, and Brozovic (Croatia) and Laporte (Spain) are executives with major nations.

“It is certain that in the future many players will go to Saudi Arabia,” predicted Spanish coach Luis De La Fuente earlier this month. “In the future, this will happen more and more,” also thinks Pep Guardiola, coach of Manchester City. With Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman, head of the PIF, signing almost blank checks, the Saudi championship therefore has a major asset (money) to last.

In France, Canal has acquired the broadcasting rights. Two questions remain: can Saudi Arabia, in the short term, attract younger stars like Mbappé, Bellingham or Haaland? And can it generate enough enthusiasm and competitiveness to overshadow Europe and its historical weight? Only time will tell.