Back
Aron Wright - June 27, 2023
In recent years, there has been a trend of many big players leaving Europe. This trend gained the worldwide attention when Cristiano Ronaldo, who is called ‘Mr. UCL’ by his fans, joined Saudi Pro League.
Players are being signed by teams in the SPL with attractive offers. So that the legendary players will have a tendency to move to the SPL as soon as they reach 30 or more.
Currently the Saudi Pro League has the most signings in recent times from Europe. They have brought in players who have a lot of value and fan followings. After Ronaldo, they signed Benzema to the SPL. Following this, many popular footballers joined the league, including well-known names like Kante and Ruben Neves. Additionally, many other transfer rumors are being reported by football pundits.
The biggest offer was given to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and the World Cup champion Lionel Messi. SPL club Al-Hilal’s transfer offer started with the news that Messi would leave PSG, one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Messi was offered $400 M per year. By signing to Major League Soccer, Messi ended the hopes of many to recreate the Ronaldo-Messi rivalry in Europe.
There are many people in the world who watch football only for players like Messi and Ronaldo. They may not follow a club, but whatever club their favorite player goes to will be their favorite club. When Messi went to PSG, we saw a hike in the streaming numbers for telecasts of Ligue 1. Similarly, when Ronaldo left Europe, followers and interactions gained on Al-Nassr’s social media were unbelievable. Additionally, SPL telecasts are now available in many countries.
The trend seen after the news that Messi will go to MLS indicates the same thing. Inter Miami, which has not yet posted an official picture of Messi in Instagram, gained about 8 million followers after the news. Additionally, there is news that MLS telecasts will soon be distributed in Asian and Arabian countries. The top 5 leagues in Europe like Ligue 1 and Serie A might move from cable telecasts to online streaming platforms. As an alternative, channels in some countries are planning to telecast SPL and MLS.
Although leagues like SPL and MLS have been able to sign several players, it will take some time for them to create a neat and organized style of football like the European teams play. While a lot of the world’s best managers remain in Europe, none of these leagues can create a better display than them in terms of gameplay style.
Apart from the fact that bringing in a set of best European players would attract a few more spectators and make a lot of profit from a business perspective, the gap between them in the terms of game quality remains big still now. That is why all the main league in Europe are in the top ten in the league rankings.
Before the 2022 World Cup final, French striker Kylian Mbappe said that football in South America is not as advanced as in Europe. When Argentina defeated France in the final, Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made fun of Mbappe’s statement.
But the fact is, even in the World Cup. It has been 20 years since an American team won the cup in 2002. The number of teams from Europe is very high, and their football community is said to span over 29 countries. Club football is no different, with over 1,000 football clubs in Europe across at least three divisions.
To counter such a huge football dominance, SPL tried to sign Messi to recreate the rivalry between him and Ronaldo, which millions of football audiences like to see. On the other side, Inter Miami is looking forward to sign Lionel Messi’s Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba. Popular football journalist Fabrizio Romano has also tweeted that they are also making moves to sign Sergio Busquets. While old iconic moments can be recreated to some extent, it remains to be seen whether it can alter Europe’s dominance in football.
