The Saudi Pro League continues to steal young talent from Europe

Money in soccer has been increasing to outrageous levels never seen before for nearly a decade now, but many of those years it was only Premier League and European clubs competing against one another for the services of the best players in the sport. However, a new threat has stepped in and begun to poach away those talents and there's no sign that they'll be letting up any time soon.

The Saudi Pro League is really just two years into its project, which has become wildly successful as the country and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) ramp up their involvement in sports as a lead up to hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034. It hasn't solely been about increasing infrastructure and garnering more fans to pay attention to the biggest sport in the world though.

Al-Nassr want to sign either Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran or Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface ✍️

The Saudi Arabian club have held talks over both strikers but will only sign one of them, with a decision expected soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/L30OxerkwF
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 29, 2025

What the Saudis have done is simply spend more than any other team or league in the world, which has allowed them to create super teams with top clubs Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and others bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Sadio Mane and countless other superstars from Europe's biggest clubs.

This time though, the Saudis are starting to put their imprint on a younger demographic of transfers and that's where European clubs should be wary of what could come in the future. Aston Villa's Jhon Duran and Bayer Leverkusen star striker Victor Boniface have become hot names on the transfer market recently, and despite interest from clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and others, the most likely outcome for their next move could actually be the Saudi league.

Although other leagues have tested the path the Saudis have gone down in the past, most notably Russia and China, netther league was able to continue investing big sums in top players for an extended period because the interest in the sport and infrastructure simply weren't there. In Saudi Arabia that simply doesn't seem to be an issue.

Brazil's Neymar is seen during the national anthem prior to the match against Cameroon at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Dec 2, 2022; Lusail, Qatar; Brazil s Neymar is seen during the national anthem prior to the match against Cameroon during a group stage match during the 2022 World Cup at Lusail Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images / Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images

The country has hosted massive Formula 1, WWE, boxing and other sporting events, all on top of their plans to host the 2034 World Cup and potentially the Olympic Games at some point in the future.

It's one thing if the Saudi league continues to bring in aging stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar, which have obviously brought incredible attention to their soccer setup, but once they're able to consistently recruit younger talents that can carry the league for five or more years that's when Europe will really have to question how they can compete.

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