The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has acquired the top four clubs of the Saudi Pro League(Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, Al Nassr, Al Ahli). The Kingdom wants to put the country into the limelight using football as their means of soft power with the 2030 vision being the Saudi Pro League being the top 6 leagues in the world. Drawing parallels with the Chinese Super League which failed due to a variety of economic factors, would Saudi Arabia’s attempt be a remarkable success or a massive failure that they won’t agree with?

The difference between the Chinese Super League and the Saudi Pro League is the players that are being lured away from the European League. In the CSL, it was Oscar, Hulk, Paulinha, Fellaini, etc. These players were paid massively in both wages and their respective transfer fees but their quality when compared to the ones heading to Saudi Arabia was subpar. The Saudi Pro League got Cristiano, and Benzema and is now in talks with Messi, Modric, and Navas, who might be past their prime but still desirable in the top European Leagues. This difference gives the Saudi Pro League more of a chance to be successful. Being able to attract the biggest names in football.

The second and the major difference is the economy of Saudi Arabia. The Chinese Economy was heavily dependent on real estate. 30% of their GDP came from Real Estate. Once Real Estate crashed during the pandemic, the CSL fell through with player’s wages being deferred. The Saudi Arabian economy is highly dependent on oil (also known as Black Gold) which makes the Saudi Pro League sustainable despite the massive money being thrown at it.

After attracting the big names, the league needs to level up their academy and youth prospects and then once they start exporting their players to major European leagues, all the eyes(from the audience to the scouts) would turn their attention toward the league on a more regular basis giving them a good chance of being one of the elite leagues in the world.