One of the more pressing issues on the trusted online betting site today is the transfer of many football players to Saudi Arabia. The phenomenon has become large, with many people concerned about the sudden transfers and everyone heading to the oil-rich middle eastern country.
While payment is one of the top reasons why this is happening, there is more to the issue of moving. And with their movement away from Europe to another region, the centre of footballing also has taken a shift. Today we shall take a look at the transfer to the Saudi Pro League and examine it in detail.
A Look At The Saudi Arabia Football Pro League
First of all, let’s look at the league making the waves on the best online betting site and beyond. The Saudi Professional League is the top division of football in the country’s league system. It is made up of 16 clubs in a promotion-based system, and they play each other round-robin twice, at the home stadium and at their opponents, just like in the European leagues.
Just like in other European league, there are certain clubs that dominate wagering on the top online betting site. These are Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo Changed Everything: Trusted Online Betting Site
Believe it or not, many footballers have moved from successful European careers to playing for Saudi’s big three teams. This, however, changed when Cristiano Ronaldo signed up for Al-Nassr for a record-breaking 177 million GBP a year.
With no European club willing to take the Portuguese superstar in because of poor showings in the Premier League with Manchester United and the World Cup, the only options left were for the American Major League Soccer (MLS) club Sporting Kansas City, and Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. In a move that stunned the trusted online betting site, Ronaldo chose to go to Saudi, the first time of a player of his caliber made the move.
Messi Targeted By Saudi: Trusted Online Betting Site
One of the first things that happened when Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr was a friendly game between the Saudi All-Stars and Paris Saint-Germain, which had the Portuguese’s rival, Lionel Messi at that time. The event in January became a popular event on the top online betting site, as many felt it would be the last time Ronaldo and Messi would meet each other. The two stars did impress, with Messi scoring the opening goal and Ronaldo scoring a brace. But more than that, it also served as a coming out party of Saudi football to the western world, who were seeing a professional game in the country being staged for the first time.
Fans naturally were left wanting more, and this sparked Al-HIlal, Al-Nassr arch-rival to try and sign Messi for around 1.3 billion GBP. The deal would make the Argentinian the richest footballer in the world. Messi took interest in the deal and even went to Saudi Arabia to talk with Hilal, apart from negotiating deals with Barcelona and Inter Miami. It even got him into trouble with PSG, as he was served with a game suspension because of his Saudi trip, affecting betting odds for PSG fixtures as a result (PSG still won the league despite of this).
In the end, Messi chose MLS’ Inter Miami as his club next season. And while it didn’t promise the same amount as Hilal ($54 million/year, which is still the largest in the league), 7-time Ballon d’Or winner was also given shares in revenue from Apple and Adidas endorsements, which made it as lucrative.
Mass Exodus Of Europe-Base Players
Although Saudi failed to lure Messi as it did Ronaldo, the Middle Eastern nation had already built for itself a reputation as a money-rich paradise for footballers. This resulted in mass signings following the club football season in Europe. Let’s take a look at the signings that are sure to shake up the best online betting site scene:
1. Karim Benzema
The most surprising move came from current Ballon d”Or holder Karim Benzema. After over a decade playing for Real Madrid, wherein he won several team and individual awards, including five UCL titles, the French forward was offered by Al Ittihad a huge 172 million GBP a year with the current SPL champions for three years. This will also help give the club among the best trusted online betting site odds for next season.
2. N’Golo Kante
Joining Benzema at Al Ittihad is his compatriot N’Golo Kante, who saw limited time at Chelsea this season due to injury. The two-time Premier League winner and 2021 UCL winner is slated to receive 86 million GBP spread out over a four year contract, or 21.5m GBP per season. Despite being already in his 30s, the Frenchman is lethal in the defensive end when healthy and can also boost Ittihad’s trusted online betting site odds as much as Benzema.
3. Ruben Neves
Having missed out on Messi, Al-Hilal have moved on to a player who is currently in his prime: the 26-year old Ruben Neves. Even as he showed desire to play UCL football, the Wolverhampton midfielder agreed to a 47 million GBP move to the most decorated Saudi top-flight club. This may help Al-Hilal in the best online betting site odds and recapture old glory.
4. Edouard Mendy
The former number 1 for Chelsea spent last season mostly injured, and he saw his starting keeper status go to Kepa Arrizablaga. Incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino also was intent on keeping Kepa as the Blues’ first choice, leaving Mendy to seek greener pastures and go to Al-Ahli. This boosts yet another Saudi club’s chances at best online betting site odds.
5. Hakim Ziyech
Another Chelsea player makes the list, as Ziyech tries to rectify the botched PSG loan deal. He joins forces with Ronaldo, as he signed with Al-Nassr on a three-year deal. This move will also put Al-Nassr among the top online betting site favourites to win the title next season.
The list goes on for other players being courted by the Middle Eastern Kingdom. Neymar Jr., Riyad Mahrez, Romelu Lukaku, Bernardo Silva, Luka Modric and other huge names in Europe have also received offers. One thing is clear though: the Saudi’s pockets are overflowing. While pundits like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have questioned the integrity of Saudi Arabia’s moves, it cannot be denied that the future of football has started moving away from Europe. Whether it bodes well for future huge activity on the best online betting site, we have yet to tell.