SUMMARY
- After CR7 joined the Saudi League, many fellow star players from the soccer world ventured into the Middle East.
- The Arabians plan to rebuild their soccer system, with fans crediting the move to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ever since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, the exposure of the Saudi Pro League among soccer fans has increased. After CR7 joined the Saudi League, many fellow star players from the soccer world ventured into the Middle East as they followed the steps of Al-Nassr’s number seven.
However, to let a certain sport grow in a country, one must make its base strong at the root levels. It seems like the Saudi Arabia soccer hierarchy has realized this. A report by ‘EuroFoot’ on ‘X’ states that the Middle Eastern country is selecting players from their third division.
🚨🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia are now recruiting players for their 3rd division; €𝟑,𝟎𝟎𝟎-𝟒𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞. 🏡
They want to completely rebuild their whole football system. Full story. 👇
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 9, 2024
The post also signifies that they are offering €3000-€4000 a month ($3284-$4378 a month), and a house to the recruited players. The Arabians are eyeing an entire rebuild of their soccer system. Fans have reacted to this report by reflecting Cristiano Ronaldo as the reason behind this inspired move.
One of the fans stated – “Ronaldo influenced Saudi football. Can’t say the same thing for Messi”. Another fan replied to the comment and wrote – “The influence”. A follower inflicted – “Ronaldo has changed the whole outlook. Probably they have learnt from the misshapes by China”. Another fan sarcastically asserted – “Oil money at work”.
Ronaldo influenced Saudi football. Can’t say the same thing for Messi
— kofi ĀDØFÔ (@kofi_adofo69) January 9, 2024
A fan chipped in and stated – “This is really smart”. One of the fans expressed- “doing the most important thing”. From the reactions of the fans, it can be drawn out that they think CR7 has inspired the Saudi soccer hierarchy towards this bold and important move.
Saudi Pro League has been registering below-par crowd attendance in recent times
Recent reports have inflicted that despite the high expenditure on the soccer infrastructure by the Saudi Pro League, fans haven’t turned up in the stadiums to watch the games. The leagues’ move to sign big name players drew the attention of fans around the world. But, it hasn’t resulted in soccer followers filling up the stadiums during the matchdays.
Reports also term that some of the players are considering leaving the Saudi Pro League. The lack of crowd turn up and support during the matches is being helmed as one of the reasons behind it. Saudi league has signed some of the star players like – Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Neves, Roberto Firmino, Karim Benzema, and Sadio Mane in the last year or so.
Despite having these big names on its roster, and striking big money deals from other leagues in Europe, the decreasing number of fans in the stadiums remains a conundrum for the Saudi League. Soccer is nothing without its fans. The players must feel the support from the stands to give their best on the field. The country’s soccer fraternity must look to solve this issue quickly.