For days on all sports portals, one can read numerous connections of the world’s biggest football stars with first league teams from Saudi Arabia, and the revolutionary signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for Al Nasr made this country one of the most attractive destinations for football players.
We have covered this topic through four chapters that will summarize the activities of the local clubs on the transfer market so far, the sponsors they have attracted, the footballers who have rejected rich offers from Saudi Arabia, as well as the start of the World Club Championship, which will be held from the 12th to the 22nd. December in this country.
FROM CHRISTIAN RONALDO TO ROBERT FIRMINO
The main “culprit” for this state of affairs in the world of club football and the footballer who started it all is the five-time Ballon d’Or winner – Cristiano Ronaldo.
He arrived from Manchester United in January for an annual salary of 200 million euros, but even that did not help Al Nasr win the title this season.
The Portuguese managed to play 19 matches for the half-season and score 14 goals with two assists, and the only reinforcement so far in this transfer window for Al Nasr is Marcelo Brozović, who moved from Inter to the second-placed team of the Saudi Pro League for 18 million euros.
In the next season, the team will try to win the championship title on the bench with the new coach Luis Castro.
Karim Benzema followed Ronaldo’s path and swore his loyalty to Real, but he could not refuse the offer of 600 million euros from the champions Al Ittihad for a three-year contract.
Benzema spent 14 years at Real Madrid, during which time he managed to win 25 trophies, including the Ballon d’Or won last season.
