Fantastic Salary from Saudi Arabian Club Makes Veteran Stars Turn Away from MLS

– The Saudi Pro League has been turning world football upside down lately. Veteran top players will usually choose the Major Soccer League (MLS) as a place for their retirement preparation.

But not anymore. With the power of their money, senior players also chose to compete in Saudi Arabia

North America was previously a top destination for aging European soccer stars, but Saudi money is running them out of water.

The previous Saudi Pro League low profile has attracted several big stars to add to their trailblazer, Cristiano Ronaldo.

They lure these players into a league that is not renowned for their quality with lucrative wages that no other club in the world can match.

Ronaldo became the world’s highest-earning footballer when he joined Al Nassr earlier this year on a two-year contract worth US$200 million per season.

Since then, the Saudi state Public Investment Fund has pumped money into several teams in the league to make the Portuguese star the first of several star signings.

More and more players are tempted to Saudi Arabia
The next most notable signing in the Saudi league is Karim Benzema, who said goodbye to Real Madrid after 14 years and at the age of 35 has just signed the biggest contract of his life.

The Frenchman will earn more than $107 million per season, with Kylian Mbappe the only player outside of Saudi Arabia to earn more than that.

N’Golo Kante, 32, has joined Benzema at Al Ittihad, while three of his former Chelsea teammates will also depart for Saudi Arabia. Hakim Ziyech to Al Nassr, Edouard Mendy to AlAhli, and Kalidou Koulibaly to Al Hilal.

Perhaps the most surprising move was Ruben Neves to Al Hilal.

Apple, Adidas and Major League Soccer (MLS) themselves have played a key role in Lionel Messi’s negotiations to join United States club Inter Miami. In a report published Tuesday to Wednesday evening, portal The Athletic, revealed some of the keys that allowed the Argentinian star to choose Miami over Saudi Arabia or return to Barcelona.

MLS and Apple have offered Messi a share of the profits generated by new subscribers of the MLS Season Pass streaming service on Apple TV+.

Apple and MLS signed a breakthrough agreement in 2022 for giant Apple to offer streaming of all league games on a global scale for 10 years in exchange for at least $250 million per season.

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