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English Premier League teams may be struggling to come to terms with Saudi Arabian clubs moving for some of their biggest names but fans in Riyadh, Jeddah and many other big cities of the Middle East and Asia are also having to adjust to football\u2019s new reality.<\/p>\n
Since Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr \u2013 one of the \u2018Big Four\u2019 clubs along with bitter Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal and Jeddah giants Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli \u2013 in December, the country has been in the international football spotlight and the club\u2019s yellow shirt is an increasingly familiar sight in Europe and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching \u2018The Yellow\u2019 spreading across the world is so satisfying and pleasing to me but I also feel loyal to the local league,\u201d Nassr fan Jana Mohammed tells BBC Sport.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSeeing player after player agreeing to sign with any Saudi team makes me more excited. It\u2019s really thrilling to witness such quality in our league.\u201d<\/p>\n
Talents such as N\u2019Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Jota have joined champions Ittihad to work with coach Nuno Espirito Santo.<\/p>\n
Hilal, the 18-time title winners, made bids for Lionel Messi and Fulham\u2019s Aleksandar Mitrovic and have signed Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Roberto Firmino and Edouard Mendy left the Premier League to become Al-Ahli players, with\u00a0Manchester City\u2019s Riyad Mahrez\u00a0set to join them soon.<\/p>\n
Expectations are building before the new season starts in August.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that the new football season will be a strong one with a lot of big football names that will undoubtedly be great additions,\u201d adds Al-Hilal fan Ayman Al-Hatami.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for Al-Hilal, we are satisfied with our new signings as we aspire to be stronger and achieve a better position. As usual, we are the first candidate for every championship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ronaldo has talked up the potential of the Saudi Pro League to become one of the top-five competitions in the world and, while that is debatable, there is little doubt that in terms of profile it is the biggest in the Middle East and Asia.<\/p>\n
\u201cEurope lost a lot of quality,\u201d the Portugal captain said recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only one that is one of the best is the Premier League; the Spanish league lost its level, the Portuguese one is not \u2018top\u2019, the German one also lost a lot of quality.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe USA? No, the Saudi championship is much better than the USA. In one year, more and more top players will come to Saudi. In a year the Saudi league will overtake the Turkish league and Dutch league.\u201d<\/p>\n
Impact on Middle East and North Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n The big four Saudi Arabian teams, who were taken over in June by the country\u2019s Public Investment Fund, have long had financial strength in regional and continental terms.<\/p>\n Now all 18 teams in the top tier, newly expanded from 16, have the ability to rival any in the Arab world.<\/p>\n Former Rangers and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has taken over mid-ranking team Ettifaq, who have been linked with another Liverpool legend in captain Jordan Henderson and are reportedly ready to make him one of the best-paid players in the world.<\/p>\n If they are able to offer a package so attractive that it lures Liverpool\u2019s captain from Anfield, it is a stark reality for others in the Middle East and North Africa region.<\/p>\n Storied clubs such as Al-Ahly and Zamalek of Egypt, with 16 continental championships between them, Wydad Casablanca in Morocco as well as Tunisian and Algerian clubs have massive support.<\/p>\n But they are increasingly losing big names to Saudi Arabia, with Egypt players Ahmed Hegazi and Tarek Hamed moving to Al-Ittihad.<\/p>\n Even the region\u2019s biggest stars such as Algeria\u2019s Mahrez and Morocco\u2019s Hakim Ziyech have been closely linked with Saudi moves.<\/p>\n Teams in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have signed big-name players in the past but do not have the fan bases of their big Saudi rivals or the same strength in depth.<\/p>\n Karim Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d\u2019Or winner, joined Al-Ittihad in June<\/em><\/p>\n Saudi league set to dominate in Asia?<\/strong><\/p>\n With the national team appearing at six World Cups as well as winning two Asian Cups and with clubs winning the Asian Champions League six times, Saudi Arabia has always been a regional and continental powerhouse.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s new financial power in football has, however, put it on a completely different level on the pitch.<\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s K-League is the most successful in terms of Asian club titles but even big teams such as Ulsan Hyundai Horangi, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings \u2013 thanks to their corporate backing \u2013 have never had pockets deep enough to sign big overseas names.<\/p>\n China\u2019s league did make headlines and waves in the previous decade but the days when it rivalled the Premier League in terms of spending are over and, after a number of bankruptcies, clubs are more focused on survival.<\/p>\n Japan is Saudi Arabia\u2019s rival in terms of being the best league in Asia on the pitch but it is falling behind in terms of profile and star power.<\/p>\n Never has an Asian league had such ambition and deep pockets.<\/p>\n \u2018Cristiano did what it takes years to do\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Al-Nassr have witnessed a surge in shirt sales, mainly bearing Ronaldo\u2019s name<\/em><\/p>\n Star players do not only bring more quality but are also designed to result in more fans, broadcast deals, sponsorship, merchandise sales and investment.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s target is that the league will be in the world\u2019s top 10 in terms of revenue generation by 2030.<\/p>\n Already, there are positive commercial signs.<\/p>\n Al-Nassr play Benfica on Thursday then face Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan in Japan later this month.<\/p>\n The club have also signed a shirt deal with Nike, with an official telling the BBC the American sportswear giants can help ensure the yellow shirts worn around the world are official.<\/p>\n In November, there were 10,000 visits to the merchandise page of the club\u2019s website. In January \u2013 the month Ronaldo signed \u2013 that number had increased to 300,000.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen more Al-Nassr shirts since last season and it\u2019s increasing so much,\u201d says Mohammed.<\/p>\n \u201cCristiano did immediately what it takes marketing campaigns and trophies many years to do.<\/p>\n \u201cWe played against Celta [on Monday] and many fans were there wearing Nassr\u2019s shirt with Cristiano\u2019s name on the back and Nassr\u2019s logo on the front.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about raising the bar, it\u2019s such an improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Karim](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/_130421877_whatsubject.jpg\")
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