Athletes for Sale 💰

06/20/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

How the World’s Most Popular Game Became a Transfer Market Auction War

The highest level of sports loses something. Not when you’re young and playing with your teammates who double as your best friends. Not when you’re throwing a football with your dad or golfing with your pals. Not when you’re in the stands, face painted as your university’s basketball game. Those moments are beautiful and life-giving. But at the highest level? It’s business.

By now, you’re aware of the legal sports chess match between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Much of the American-focused sports media has featured the ongoing saga of the league alliance, merger, or whatever verbiage can define it. That situation comes with a lot of questions and even congressional inquiry, but golf is just one piece of the puzzle. The Saudia Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been a massive buyer in sports over the past few years, primarily in areas with international draws that go to the highest bidder — golf and soccer. No, your favorite football and basketball players won’t be spurning your team for a nine-figure offer in Saudi Arabia, but European soccer stars are on the move, and the business of sport is once again changing sport itself.

Gone are the days of player loyalty in the NBA and NFL as contracts surpass fathomability. Gone are the days of the NCAA we once knew in an ever-changing world of conference realignments and NIL disparity. And now, gone are the days of European soccer integrity and the Ronaldo-Messi era. The two greatest players of a generation are now on opposite sides of the globe. And it’s just the beginning…

Editor’s Note: With many complicated issues surrounding the PIF’s financial backing, this article is focused on the sports side of recent events.

Soccer’s Newest Player

For decades, a handful of domestic leagues dominated the European futbol hierarchy. While international competition is its own story, the national sub-groups of the Premier League (England), Ligue 1 (France), La Liga (Spain) and Bundesliga (Germany) are the key players in Europe. Serie A (Italy), Eredeviste (Netherlands), and other countries boast successful leagues with high-level talent, too, but the Saudi Pro League hasn’t been one of them. Until now. In the past year, the Saudi Pro League (and PIF) have lured a handful of mega stars from the top leagues in Europe, most of them in the twilight years of their careers. And they’re just getting warmed up.

Players Joining Saudi Pro League

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) and Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) are two iconic stars who made the move to Saudi Pro League clubs in the last year, and both of them are receiving undisclosed contracts rumored to be well above $200 million. The Saudi League is also working to sign N’golo Kante (Chelsea) and Heung-Min Son (Tottenham) in the coming days. Those are just the star players. A number of young, talented Premier League players are already packing their bags. Then there’s Lionel Messi, who ultimately turned down close to $1 billion in favor of Inter Miami CF of the MLS. A win for MLS, but the PIF still gave Messi $25 million to promote Saudi Arabian tourism.

Saudi Pro League vs. MLS

Before we go too far down the rabbit hole, let’s compare the Saudi Arabia purchasing power of the world’s biggest game to what’s happening in the United States. The Saudi Pro League wasn’t a professional league until 2005. It had eight teams, and it now features 18 total. It’s growing, and fast. The acquisition of superstar talent and the assault on Europe’s transfer market has boosted international interest in the league. It’s a similar rise that the MLS has seen in the 21st century— a league that began in 1996 with 10 teams and has since grown to 29. The MLS brought in Europe’s aging stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gareth Bale, and David Beckham, and the same just occurred with Messi.

For Sale & Not For Sale: The “Big 4,” as they’re often referred to in the United States, are domestic safety nets in North American sports. The NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL are fueled by North American fan bases, but they have global status, and the best players in the world play here. But on the international stage? Sports like golf and soccer play by different rules. The PGA Tour (golf) and soccer’s aforementioned European leagues had a monopoly on the top talent. Gone are those days.

Money talks, and it’s getting loud in Saudi Arabian sports.

CBS Sports: Benzema & Ronaldo Are Just the Start of Saudi Pro League’s Ambitious Plans

The Athletic: PIF to Take Control of Saudi Arabia’s 4 Biggest Clubs in Pro League Shakeup

Photo: Power Sport Images / Getty Images