Surprisingly, it's still Cristiano Ronaldo's "pot"?, Neymar's "Not Striving Ahead" Middle East Gold Rushing World | Saudi Arabia | Middle East
Recently, Saudi powerhouse Riyadh New Moon officially announced that 31 year old Brazilian striker Neymar has transferred from Paris Saint Germain to the club for 90 million euros. Neymar's salary is expected to reach $300 million in two years, and with additional terms and commercial income, Neymar's total revenue may reach $400 million by 2025. Compared to 38 year old Cristiano Ronaldo and 36 year old Messi choosing the Saudi League and Major League Baseball in the United States, who enjoy a "high salary" career tail, Neymar, who is still in his early years, is somewhat "not ambitious". In the end, it was Ronaldo who helped him make up his mind.
In the 2015 Ballon d'Or selection, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar stood out in full force. At that time, Neymar was regarded by the outside world as Barcelona's "crown prince" and Messi's successor. However, Messi maintained his peak for a considerable period of time, which also made Neymar impatient and ultimately chose to leave Ligue 1. In Paris Saint Germain, a genius player named Mbappe is diluting Neymar's influence, while Neymar's irritable personality, constant injuries, and off court gossip are all devouring his talent. Neymar, who has been marginalized by the team, has to rethink his future.
This summer, Barcelona intended to sign Neymar again to enhance the team's competitiveness. However, for Neymar, instead of continuing to bear the criticism of European football, it is better to go to Saudi Arabia to explore new territories of wealth. After all, after years of challenge and effort, Neymar has given up hope of competing for the Ballon d'Or. At his current state, he is no longer suitable to play for European giants, and Asian giants have become his best choice.
When discussing his feelings about joining the Saudi league, Neymar said, "I think Cristiano Ronaldo is the beginning of all of this. At that time, everyone thought he was crazy, but now we can see that the Saudi league is constantly developing."
The success of Saudi Al-Nassr FC in signing Ronaldo is a great event in football in 2022, with an annual salary of 173 million pounds and a monthly salary of about 120 million yuan, making Ronaldo the highest earning player in the world. This summer, in addition to Neymar, famous players such as Mahrez, Benzema, Kant, and Henderson have all transferred from the top European league to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has proposed the "2030 Vision" to transform a single country's economic structure that overly relies on energy export income into a diversified industry and a national transformation strategy that connects the East and the West. Saudi Arabia is embarking on a transformation path from oil dependence to economic diversification. This vision plan covers multiple fields, including economy, society, education, health, technology, etc., to promote the development and modernization of Saudi Arabia.
As part of Saudi Arabia's "2030 Vision" national strategy, the highly capital concentrated football industry in Saudi Arabia will undergo a comprehensive upgrade from star players, coaches to sports stadiums and training facilities. Through the future "Financial Balance Act", Saudi Arabia hopes that its league will become a true Asian and even world-class league. The first step taken by Cristiano Ronaldo happened to be the key to all of this.
Cristiano Ronaldo has brought Saudi football to a broader stage through his personal image and social media activity, becoming a true spokesperson for Saudi football. Cristiano Ronaldo's influence and popularity have also attracted the interest of many brands and sponsors, injecting more funds and resources into Saudi football. The investment of these funds has provided support for youth training projects, the construction of stadium facilities, and the organization of international competitions, promoting the overall development of Saudi football.
Neymar's arrival has elevated the Saudi league to a new level. The gathering of football stars will narrow the gap between teams, make the game more technical and attractive, and the competition will become more intense. At the same time, the footsteps of Saudi Arabia's "golden football" are still ongoing.
