Who is Neom SC, the ambitious nouveau riche of Saudi football

In Saudi Arabia, it's a story of big money. Since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in the winter of 2023, the Saudi Pro League has become a new power in international football. Owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the clubs of Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad have recruited heavily to build ambitious teams. Thus, Neymar, Malcom and Joao Cancelo joined Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr counts Sadio Mané, Marcelo Brozovic and Cristiano Ronaldo in its ranks, Al-Ahli is the club of Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Franck Kessie when Al-Ittihad has by Moussa Diaby, N'Golo Kanté and Karim Benzema. Since this summer, another actor has also arrived with Al-Qadsiah. Promoted from the second division, the club owned by Aramco, a Saudi public oil and natural gas company, has acquired Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Olympique de Marseille), Ezequiel Fernandez (Boca Juniors) and Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid) during a transfer window worth more than 80 million euros. The promoted is third in the Saudi Pro League.

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The top names in the Saudi Pro League could also see another ambitious competitor arrive next season with Neom SC. Located in the province of Tabuk, Neom is a futuristic city that the Saudi state wishes to build in its major Saudi Vision 2030 project, which thus wishes to diversify the country's economy to make it independent of its big oil power. The project called “The Line” aims to create two immense skyscrapers, 500 meters high and 200 meters wide, which will extend over… 170 kilometers. Wanting to accommodate 1.2 million inhabitants in 2030 and 9 million people in 2045, the Saudi government has planned huge expenditures exceeding $500 billion in this project. Obviously football is part of this and the government was activated during the great upheaval of the Saudi Pro League. Thus, the third division club Al-Suqoor based in Tabuk was transformed into Neom Sports Club. In 2022, the club were fourth division champions and won the third division last season.

The Neom SC plays the rise in SPL

Promoted, Neom SC strengthened accordingly to move up to the Saudi Pro League and did it intelligently. Recruiting Brazilian coach Péricles Chamusca last May, who had excellent results with Al-Faisaly, Al-Hilal, Al-Shabab and Al-Taawoun, the club spent more than 17 million euros on broken players. in the Saudi Pro League games with the experienced Romarinho (33 years old) and Ahmed Hegazy (33 years old), who were champions in 2023 with Al-Ittihad. Same story with the arrivals of Salman Al-Faraj (34 years old) and Mohammed Al-Burayk (31 years old), Saudi internationals who arrived from Al-Hilal where they were Saudi Pro League champions last year. Young prospects Abdulmalik Al-Oyayari (20) and Muhanad Al-Saad (21) arrived from Al-Taawoun and Al-Ettifaq when they could have played leading roles in the SPL. Also note the arrival of Senegalese striker Mbaye Diagne, a great architect of Al-Qadsiah's rise last year. A tasty blend that translates well onto the pitch.

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Leader of the second Saudi division with two steps ahead of its first pursuer, Neom SC is on target to succeed in its bet. From then on, the club is already starting to anticipate a possible promotion. Close to recruiting the Egyptian Zizo from Zamalek last summer, Neom SC is now close to recruiting Saïd Benrahma from Olympique Lyonnais, as we informed you in recent hours. Not yet legitimate enough given its status as a second division club, Neom SC does not play in the city whose name the team bears since it does not yet exist. A weak identity and a project still under construction which will require time and/or money to be taken seriously. However, the ambitions will be great for this team which has in particular the project of a new stadium with 46,000 seats, the construction of which must begin in 2027 and be completed in 2032, with a view to the 2034 World Cup. It will be located at 350 meters from the ground. Above ground and extravagant, the Neom SC project has not finished making people talk…