Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Al-Nassr at the beginning of this year has started a trend in soccer. Saudi Arabia’s popularity is rapidly increasing in the soccer world which has been dominated by Europe. Ronaldo and Neymar Jr., two of the biggest soccer stars of this generation, are now playing in Saudi Arabia. In this article, we will take a look at the spending sprees of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo completed his big-money move to Saudi Arabia in January this year, several soccer stars like Neymar, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, and so on have followed in Ronaldo’s footsteps. With comparatively less pressure on their shoulders and huge salaries, soccer stars prefer to leave European soccer and move to Saudi Arabia.
🚨 The best paid footballers in the world:
Easy to see why these players are heading to Saudi Arabia now. 💰
(📸 @le_Parisien) pic.twitter.com/HuoNyYmhnR
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 15, 2023
Although Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal have emerged as the big spenders in Saudi Arabia. Both clubs are bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), whose apparent value is just shy of $600 billion. PIF, which is a state savings account for the Saudi Arabian government, also recently completed its takeover of Newcastle United. The Middle Eastern country’s primary source of wealth lies in its humongous oil reserves.
Club who’ve spent most on this transfer window 🪟 but no better result THREAD 🧵
1. Chelsea x Al-Hilal pic.twitter.com/XdVKBFHJfY
— JAKE SARKCESS 🇺🇸🇬🇭 (@itzZMeJAKE) August 22, 2023
In the 2023–24 transfer window, Al-Hilal has emerged as the second-biggest spender in the soccer world, spending around $291 million. However, Al-Hilal’s spending spree is still shy of Chelsea, who have spent $415 million in this transfer window. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr has spent only $84 million in the current transfer window.
Al-Nassr vs Al-Hilal: Which club has the more expensive squad?
After losing out on the Saudi Pro League title last year, Al-Nassr has heavily invested in its squad. The club has bought players like Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, and Argentine goalkeeper Agustin Rossi. However, even after acquiring such players, Al-Nassr has failed to win their first two league games this season.
Meanwhile, Al-Hilal recently signed Brazilian star Neymar Jr. from PSG. Besides Neymar, Al-Hilal has also bought Malcolm, Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Morocco’s 2022 World Cup hero Yassine Bounou. Currently, Al-Nassr’s current squad value is estimated to be $164 million. However, Al-Hilal’s squad worth, which is around $280 million, has surpassed Al-Nassr (via Transfermarkt).