ALL POSTS TAGGED "Saudi Arabia - Page 10"

Business of Soccer

/ 782 days ago

Saudi Pro League players dominate annual Forbes money list

The Saudi Pro League has an awful lot of money to spend on players. A summer window in which they spent heavily to recruit some of the globe's biggest stars has influenced the wealth scale in the sport. The annual World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players list by Forbes was released on Friday. This year's table predictably […]

News

/ 785 days ago

Saudi Pro League attendances are as low as 133 people

There has been plenty of talk about the rise of professional soccer inside Saudi Arabia. Although previously relatively unknown, the Saudi Pro League essentially exploded onto the scene when Cristiano Ronaldo decided to join Al Nassr in January. The move may have shocked many around the globe, but money certainly talked. Ronaldo is currently earning […]

Al Nassr

/ 787 days ago

Ronaldo plans on staying with Al-Nassr through 2026 World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo waved off any discussion of his retirement as he plans to keep playing with Al-Nassr and Portugal through the 2026 World Cup. The Portuguese icon sees playing in the 2026 competition as a sendoff to his career. Ronaldo is one of six players to have played in five World Cups. He would, along […]

AS Roma

/ 789 days ago

Mourinho says he will 'definitely' work in Saudi Arabia someday

Jose Mourinho has claimed that he sees himself coaching in Saudi Arabia in the future. The current Roma manager, self-described as the "Special One," is widely regarded as one of the top coaches in Europe. He has previously collected silverware at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester United. Mourinho made the remarks during […]

Al Nassr

/ 790 days ago

Del Piero tempted by enticing role at Ronaldo's Al-Nassr

Saudi outfit Al-Nassr is courting Alessando Del Piero to take the role of sporting director there. The team captained by Cristiano Ronaldo has been on fire, attracting star players from all around Europe. Following their recent on-field success, the Riyadh-based side aims to bolster their administrative ranks. Del Piero retired from soccer at the beginning […]

Australia

/ 791 days ago

FIFA offers Australia token gesture to bid for 2034 World Cup

FIFA has given Australia just 25 days to decide whether or not they want to host the 2034 World Cup. The move comes on the same day as Saudi Arabia announced their intentions to bid for the tournament. The world's governing body of the sport has allocated the 2034 World Cup to Asia/Oceania. James Johnson, […]

Leagues: EPL

/ 798 days ago

Saudi move to have serious repercussions for elite EPL referees

High salaries in the Saudi Pro League may entice referees from the English Premier League. They may follow in the footsteps of some of those notable players who jumped to the Middle East this summer. The Saudi Pro League signed high-profile players during the most recent transfer window. That helped bring international attention to the […]

Leagues: Serie A

/ 798 days ago

Saudi clubs circling Osimhen as tensions mount, says report

Saudi Pro League teams will lead the charge for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen during the January transfer window. The Nigeria international is enjoying a great 2023/24 Serie A season so far with the Italian side. However, a recent social media debacle has seemingly strained the club's relationship with the star striker. Napoli created, then deleted, […]

Al Nassr

/ 802 days ago

Cristiano Ronaldo hits back at critics claiming his career is over

Following Al-Nassr's latest Saudi Pro League triumph on Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo responded to his skeptics. The soccer star's arrival in Saudi Arabia in January 2022 has been met with widespread acclaim. His presence sparked a dramatic shift in the sport, with numerous high-profile European players signing with Saudi Pro League clubs. A revival of sorts […]

News

/ 804 days ago

Most top leagues games exceed 100 minutes, data shows

These days, more than half of all matches in soccer leagues go on for more than 100 minutes. New data shows that 52.4% of league games exceed 100 minutes. This metric varies considerably from league to league. For example, the Middle East has the highest and Finland the lowest. The CIES Football Observatory analyzed the […]

Financial Fair Play

/ 805 days ago

Saudi Crown Prince: 'We'll continue doing sportswashing'

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has proclaimed that he does not care about accusations of sportswashing. Bin Salman became his country's de facto ruler in 2017. Since then, the billionaire has invested a fortune in sports. Most notably, bin Salman's Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought a majority stake in Newcastle United in 2021. […]

Leagues: Ligue Un

/ 818 days ago

Neymar takes shot at PSG and Ligue 1 with bold Saudi claim

Neymar, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain, was transferred this summer for 90 million euros to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. The Brazilian is just one of the sport's biggest stars from across the globe that has moved to the Middle East this season. And now Neymar has made comments regarding PSG and Ligue 1. This summer, […]

Leagues: EPL

/ 818 days ago

EPL clubs seek ban on nation-state ownership like Newcastle

Many prominent Premier League clubs petitioned the UK government to restrict nation-state governments to purchase ownership in English teams. A new independent soccer authority may soon take up this request as part of their job. The United Kingdom’s government, meantime, has assured that it would arrive "when parliamentary time allows", according to The Guardian. English […]

Saudi clubs to enter UCL? PSG's Al-Khelaifi sets record straight

Saudi clubs have had a significant impact on global soccer, and they want in on the UEFA Champions League. To sign high-profile players, the four Public Investment Fund (PIF)-owned teams received massive funds. The chance was seized by European teams, who stocked their coffers, but questions are being raised. Some of the biggest names in […]

Jadon Sancho

/ 819 days ago

Man Utd stay or Saudi move? Report reveals Sancho's future

A club in Saudi Arabia has made a transfer bid to Manchester United for Jadon Sancho. The Englishman was a top talent whom Manchester United had targeted for a long time. After leaving England for first-team play in Germany, he dominated the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. He scored or assisted more than one goal per […]