A top European manager has claimed that it is Karim Benzema, and not Cristiano Ronaldo, who has paved the way for many of the game's stars to make their way to Saudi Arabia in recent months.
At the beginning of 2023, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo signed the biggest football contract in history when he joined Al Nassr as a free agent after leaving Manchester United.
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Since then, a plethora of footballers who were plying their trade at the highest level in Europe have ditched their respective teams in favour of the riches in the Middle East, one of them being Benzema.
Less than a year after being named the best player in the world and being handed the illustrious Golden Ball for the first time in his career, the French legend left Real Madrid to join Al Ittihad in July, and it is this move that Mainz manager Bo Svensson believes has triggered the large influx of stars to the Saudi Pro League.
"I take it [the Saudi Pro League's push to sign the best footballers] very seriously," Svensson told Bild.
"It's different from back then with China. Only three foreigners were allowed to play per club, and really big names didn't go to China either.
"For me, the decisive transfer to Saudi Arabia wasn't Ronaldo at 38, but Benzema, who just played in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
"This could be a door opener for others. If you see the names now, the number of players going there and the money that's available where even the Premier League can't keep up. I'm excited to see how it goes."
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Svensson's comments come after Ronaldo suggested last month that more players will make the move to the SPL after he did, saying that "where Cristiano goes, it generates great interest and I knew it was going to be like that. I'm sure that next season more stars will go there."
The initiative to bring the best players in the world to Saidu Arabia seemingly forms parts of the nation's plan to raise the profile of their top division before they launch a bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
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