Football experienced quite a revolution last summer. While European football has dominated economically for decades, Saudi Arabia has struck hard to reduce its gap on the best championships on the planet. With 976 million euros spent this season and the arrival of many stars like Riyad Mahrez and Franck Kessié to Al-Ahli, Fabinho, N’Golo Kanté and Karim Benzema to Al-Ittihad, Marcelo Brozovic and Sadio Mané to Al-Nassr as well as Neymar, Kalidou Koulibaly and Malcom at Al-Hilal, the Saudi Pro League has established itself as a strong new player in the transfer market. With these four teams majority owned by the PIF, the Saudi sovereign fund, as well as other extremely wealthy clubs such as Al-Ettifaq, Al-Shabab and Al-Taawoun, Saudi Arabia has put in place the means to become a new stronghold soccer.
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Al-Qadisiya became “the richest club in the world”
Saudi oil and gas giant, Aramco also has its role to play in this express development. Integrated into football with an XXL partnership with FIFA, Aramco is following the path that the Russian hydrocarbon company Gazprom wanted to establish in Europe with a partnership with UEFA and a very wealthy club to its credit with Zenit Saint -Petersburg. For the Saudi company, this flagship club is none other than the Al-Qadisiya team which played in Saudi D2 this season. A global energy giant, Aramco has the highest market capitalization in the world, potentially making Al-Qadisiya the richest football club in the world. And this financial power is not devoid of ambition.
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A historic club in the Saudi championship, Al-Qadisiya experienced a turning point at the end of the 20th century with a first relegation in 1997 which then led to instability. Accustomed to making the elevator, the Knights of the East finally suddenly resumed great ambitions when Aramco took possession of the club a year ago. This summer, Al-Qadisiya strengthened itself to make its return to the Saudi Pro League with some players arriving from Europe such as Mbaye Diagne (Fatih Kargümrük), Joel Robles (Leeds United), Max Power (Wigan) and Alexander Hack (Mainz ), but also elements accustomed to playing at the top of the table in Saudi Arabia like Luciano Vietto (Al-Hilal), Alvaro Gonzalez (Al-Nassr), Mohammed Al-Saiari (Al-Ittihad) or even André Carrillo (Al-Hilal ). Solid recruitment to move up and with an architect on board who quickly performed well.
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José Mourinho, Virgil van Dijk and Kevin De Bruyne in the viewfinder
While Robbie Fowler’s results were not bad with a second place after eight days and no defeats on the clock, it was the former coach of Olympique de Marseille Michel who arrived. And if the Spaniard started with a 1-0 defeat against the leader Al-Orobah, he quickly found the formula with his 4-4-2 which led to the club’s promotion yesterday after a draw against Ohod Club (2-2). Leader with ten points ahead of its closest pursuer, Al-Kholood, the Khobar-based club is guaranteed to finish at least in the top three of the championship and has ensured its rise. A great success for Al-Qadisiya which has just validated the first stage of its project and will now have to prepare for a 2024/2025 season with even more ambition.
Despite Michel’s good work, the Saudi team could be tempted to bring in a more media-famous figure as coach. This is good, José Mourinho is free and Al-Qadisiya is in the running according to the Saudi media Asharq al-Awsat In competition with two other Saudi Pro League clubs, the promoted team has a lead in this file and will try to achieve a major media coup. In addition, if the duo Mbaye Diagne (19 goals and 3 offerings) and Luciano Vietto (17 goals and 10 offerings) overcame everyone, quite a few reinforcements are to be expected from the side of the team owned by Aramco.
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The biggest file leads to Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder from Manchester City is ardently desired by the club owned by Aramco, which would be ready to make him an XXL offer. We also told you about an offer from Al-Qadisiya this winter for Nabil Fekir, but the player declined the offer. Other less insistent rumors at the moment link the club to Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Casemiro (Manchester United) or even Maurizio Sarri (in the event of failure of the José Mourinho file). Prestigious tracks which risk raising eyebrows both in the Saudi Pro League in terms of competition and in Europe where Al-Qadisiya risks attracting big names…
Pub. THE 05/07/2024 4:00 p.m.
Update 07/05/2024 20:14
