The Saudi football dream is over

"This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all". 12 words. It only took 12 words from Cristiano Ronaldo to burst the Saudi Arabian bubble. It's still unclear whether this was a message officially announcing his departure from Al-Nassr, given that his contract expires on June 30, or simply a farewell at the end of the season. But the mere thought that the player who kick-started the exodus from Europe to Saudi Arabia might be considering leaving is a clear sign that the Saudi League has not made the progress once expected when oil dollars began pouring into the bank accounts of clubs, players, coaches, and agents around the world.

The summer of 2023 was marked by widespread anxiety, the fear of a sudden random offer from Saudi Arabia, with sums so astronomical that it would have seemed a crime not to accept. No one felt safe. It was unprecedented: players at the peak of their careers like Sadio Mané, or rising stars like Gabri Veiga, fled European clubs to join Saudi teams. Even Roberto Mancini, the head coach of the Italian national team, resigned without warning in the middle of August to move to Saudi Arabia and take over their national team.

The Saudi teams negotiating with European clubs were often unnamed, just a detail to stretch articles about vague offers "from Saudi Arabia", with figures that, like urban legends, grew as the stories circulated from site to site. It became an exotic buzzword shaking the foundations of fans' favorite pastime: transfer news. European clubs even considered appealing to UEFA or FIFA to establish new rules that would prevent Saudi clubs, the same ones they were doing business with to save their own finances, from making extravagant offers that pushed players to request transfers.

That overwhelming wave, which according to Transfermarkt data led to spending of €950.4 million (excluding wages) in 2023, first slowed down, then stopped. Now it's receding. Some players, like Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at Al-Hilal, and Franck Kessié at Al-Ahli, decided to honor their contracts, buoyed by excellent performances. Others packed their bags at the first opportunity, like Jordan Henderson, who returned to Europe and signed with Ajax, or had to wait for the right time, like Neymar, welcomed as an emperor by Al-Hilal in 2023 and quietly returning to Brazil in early 2025 after terminating his contract. The struggles of Saudi football are also evident in its inability to attract aging European players, who now prefer MLS or South America for the final stages of their careers, drawn by a more familiar lifestyle and a more competitive football environment.

Of course, transfer rumors involving Saudi Arabia won't suddenly vanish. Not by chance, on the eve of the Champions League final, there was persistent talk of a €50 million offer over three years from Al-Hilal to Inter coach Simone Inzaghi. On the horizon looms the specter of Neom SC, a team owned by the PIF fund, designed to promote The Line, a futuristic city in the heart of the desert, made up of two 500-meter-high skyscrapers arranged in parallel to create a linear settlement stretching 170 kilometers. There will always be players and coaches willing to move for the figures written on a contract. Moreover, Saudi Arabia needs to build a high-level football scene in preparation for the 2034 World Cup, awarded by FIFA without even a real bidding process.

But the bubble has burst. The scenario in which the whole world would fall in love with Arab football never materialized. Nor did that paradigm shift appear, the one where a child might choose Al-Nassr over Real Madrid. European clubs are no longer terrified; in fact, they now welcome an offer. Saudi Arabia has revealed its true nature: a sort of pre-retirement step for professional players who consciously chose money over competition. Cristiano Ronaldo included.