Why The Saudi Pro League Is Already Falling Apart
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- čas přidán 2. 02. 2024
- The Saudi Pro League sent shockwaves through world football in the summer transfer window, adding the likes of Karim Benzema, Neymar, and Riyad Mahrez to join Cristiano Ronaldo, and outspending every league other than the Premier League.
Just five months on, one of the league's marquee signings - Jordan Henderson - has left, only one player was brought to Saudi Arabia for a fee in January, and there are reports that several players already want to leave.
So in this documentary, HITC Sevens takes a look at why Saudi spending in football has slowed down, the numerous issues facing the Saudi Pro League, and whether the project really is already falling apart.
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It’s more fun to watch the league collapse than watch any of their games
only Henderson, how is that a collapse
@@The_Goat_CR7.All The European players now want to leave 😂
@@ashleyjackson82so Henderson an benzema are all European players? 😂
@@100apThe whole channel has had an agenda against the saudi league from day one so you really can’t take their opinion seriously
@DejiNova I think that's because the Saudi league is sportwashing and corruption is rife. Hench why most players are quite happy to turn down a move...
Football fans that say politics has nothing to do with football couldnt be more wrong
Whenever someone says "get politics out of football/sport," always assume they're idiots.
@LoCoAde87 big difference is that dynamo dresden Millwall and lazio hellas verona etc etc have football heritage that these saudi clubs simply don't have.
They're the type of idiots fifa and uefa like and appeal to now. Them that don't care for corruption, inequality and the history of the sporf. Not real fans
That is because they fans of the sport, not social justice like the rest of you idiots
Yes they may not have the heritage like the club you mentioned but heritage doesn't get built in 7 8 9 years it take much more then that and those clubs and the leauge is just getting relevant..football is not only for Europeans@Micfri300
When you realise your rich enough and the money isn't worth it.
Exactly. If you're worth 100 million an extra 50 million literally changes nothing as far as lifestyle.
@@KNByamEspecially considering that for those 50M, they're forced to change their lifestyle in some cases
@@KNByam I mean you can always buy a bigger mansion, more cars etc...
@trollinape2697 and ??? For you and me make sense because we don't have that much , but like everything in life after you have it ,is whatever.. the really richt one ,are more interesting in power.
@@AnthonyGarcia-sy3yk I was a bit sarcastic lol
Both fans are said to be devastated at the news.
Underrated comment
underrated response.@@claymanson2665
I hear heads are already rolling!
😂😂😂
Cristiano Ronaldo: "The Saudi League is better than Ligue 1 actually!"
Saudi League: *Instantly implodes*
Where is the implosion if i may ask?
@@DejiNovadude, it’s a joke. Why are on here getting offended on behalf of league? How much they paying you? 😂
@@wephilips6651 How much are they paying you to hate on the league?
@@wephilips6651 dude,it's just a question ..where is the implosion?
@@DejiNova There's a fucking 43 minute video here if you scroll up bud.
The hype around the Saudi Pro League always makes me laugh. As a Romanian I've seen players and managers from my country come and go to/from Saudi as far back as 2006. Some manage to spend a big chunk of their careers there. (Mirel Rădoi and Cosmin Olăroiu being my best 2 examples) Others get the bag and are done within 1 or 2 years, even months. Nobody goes there to play football. Money talks. And it's not only Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries suffer from the same phenomenon, like UAE or Qatar.
It's so funny watching people develop this sort of false consciousness, because as you say, this has been going on for a while. Everyone knows what's going on, yet some Ronaldo stans or the like on Twitter seem to have genuinely convinced themselves the players (or in fact the fans themselves) care about "the project".
What I'm saying is, how sad do you have to be to invent excuses for someone who's infinitely richer than you to make more money at the cost of their dignity?
That this big push in Saudi Arabia for the Saudi Pro League and hosting boxing matches is how the country is going about "diversifying" it's economy shows the it's doomed economically if demand for oil keeps falling.
@@BiggieTrismegistus Demand for oil hasn't fallen, it's increased.
Da pbn, liga araba este un fel de liga chinezeasca in 2017. Se va duce de rapa in scurt timp
Radoi was an amazing player for al-hilal
That’s easy: it lost significant popularity now that Jordan Henderson left.
Never bubu. The league just got bigger. Messi fans at their best 😅
This is an important issue that's been overlooked. Hendo was the League.
Wtf is a jordan henderson?😂
@@DejiNovait's a joke
Idk why Are people so salty
I always love his shots on jordan henderson 😂😂
Jordan just wanted to grow the game he loves around the world. It had nothing to do with money 🙄
And he sorted out homophobia in Saudi Arabia. What a guy
What do you mean he made sure everyone had rights and spread football in his 6 months I am sure of it
His love for Jordan Henderson never dies LMFAOOOOOOOO 🤣🤣
Whenever I see Jordan Henderson news on Twitter or Instagram I tag him 🫣🤭
@@ryanmurphy4748 and he did it in LESS THAN HALF A YEAR!!! What a legend.
£2.5 million A WEEK is fucking mind-blowing. Like ik all footballers earn a lot but that is just another level of insane
all the money in the world can't buy you character, so instead you buy ten million camels and a few football stars.
It's just greed, they already make more money than they'll ever really need
Buying the best players doesn't make your league the greatest
100% correct postulation.@@Romit12
They should spend the money building the brand, fanbase, facilities,content- instead of just buying b
By a show of hands, how many of us have watched a Saudi League match? (Not including highlight videos). I’ve seen zero! Exactly zero matches
the J League is much more sustainable than camel league, you can watch their games for free too on youtube
I've not even seen any players in that league trending on twitter for something they've done in a game other than CR7
@@battlep0t It’s sad really. You can buy talent but you can’t buy views. The people want good football!
I honestly don't even know what platform it's on or how to watch it lol (and I watch games from most of the big leagues)
@@NF12222 same!
I'm confident that Ronaldo is completely sincere in his assessment of the strength of the Saudi league. No bias involved whatsoever
It's probably written in his contract that he gets a bonus every time he smiles after saying 'Saudi pro league'
Also be confident that the Saudi League cuts him a pretty check every time he says it.
@@UnbiasedBayernFanOf course, you dont get paid 200 million a year without being a media dog for the regime
@@UnbiasedBayernFan😂😂😂
ronaldo is horny about his stats and if he would tell the league he pumps ups his numbers is crap he would take a dump in his own pockets and legacy so ofcourse he inflates his own ego by hyping that bad league. There is a reason why he can score goals again when he failed in his last months in the premier league being stiff as fk
When players move to the US later on in their careers the culture is very similar to that in Europe and by then most have realised their bodies were finished in Europe. Even many South Americans who often return home are returning to their own culture and often still have huge support from crowds. Saudi has none of that.
Europe doesn’t have the monopoly of football. Stop hating, most of the people playing in Saudi represent their countries. The highest pride in football is being able to represent your country. 350k a week in Europe, and apparently, they’re not playing for money 😂
@@abetoperez3969I like how you're all over random comments defending the Saudis constantly. 😂
@@LoCoAde87 and doing a pretty lousy job of it too. 🤣
@abetoperez3969 Why didn't you respond to anything at all in the comment you were replying to? Do you not know what a reply is? Saudi players having pride in playing for their dictatorship has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the comment.
@@Ceaseless_Watcher if he replies and says the wrong thing he might just go the way of Jamal Khashoggi 🤷♂️
Henderson really destroyed his reputation for 6 months in a league...
And he got no money from it
10 bucks says he'll try and spin it that he "left on ethical grounds" and it was totally all about changing people's minds on social issues.
"If it was just about money he'd still be over there" is a line I'd be running if I was in his PR team.
He ended homophobia and joined his dream club, what are you smoking ?
destroyed his rep with the LGBT community you mean, a group that he owed nothing to in the first place.
@@somethinglikethat2176”I have done everything I could to help the culture, but as a man of virtues, I will never sell out if it means I must break my morals. My goal has always been to help the game of football and money has never been as important as the game has to me. Except for the time I got offered that golden pay check by the Saudis” Henderson probably
You can buy a tournament but you can’t buy a fan base.
Well Said
You can't buy class either. The treatment of Beckenbauer shows that. Disrespect a Legend, disrespect every fan.
You can rent one though by signing Ronaldo. All his cuckolds come as part of the deal.
You kinda can buy a fan base , look at man city for example. Fans all over the world .. EPL have bought a world fan base
@@artsy38 140 years of organic growth
“On enough steroids to win the Tour de France” 😂. That’s a keeper
It's incredible that as a 54 year old Englishman it looks like I'll never see a World Cup hosted here. But I'd have lived through Germany, Spain,Argentina and the U.S.A hosting twice, Mexico 3 times. Japan, Korea, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all hosting it as well. Every 'major' footballing nation(the exception being the Netherlands) would have hosted the world cup by the time I hit 65. If I hit 65! To say the U.K is due a world cup is an understatement, we must be too mean with our bribes.
Rejected in 2010 because of Qatari bribery to FIFA officials.
We are getting the 28 euros to be fair
@@livwakethe poster is right. Go to most countries on this planet and they all support an English teams. Throughout Africa, Asia, North America, and every country I’ve ever visited, anyone that watches football, most of them support one of the big English clubs, Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and now Man City. We have one of the best (and most exciting) leagues on the planet, we have great infrastructure and lots of incredible iconic stadiums, we have huge iconic national stadiums if you take in wales and Scotland (but we don’t even need those). Old Trafford, Anfield, Emirates, Stamford bridge, white heart lane, villa park, city of Manchester, st James park, Olympic stadium and Wembley, to name a very small number. We also have lots and lots and lots of fans, guaranteed to sell out every single game over and over even if you price tickets at ridiculous prices. Everyone will want to go to see the games. Cost will be immaterial. To have not seen 1 World Cup in England, whilst Mexico have hosted 3 and many other countries have hosted it twice frankly stinks to high hell. What the hell is FIFA doing? And the euros isn’t the WORLD CUP. The World Cup is the ultimate sport tournament on the planet. It is sad that I probably won’t see a World Cup in England either. Never to see old Trafford or Anfield or Wembley hosting a World Cup game. FIFA must really hate England.
You forgot that RUSSIA hosted it in 2018, 4 years after marching into and annexing Ukraine illegally killing thousands. It really is a complete joke. Can we expect North Korea to host it next maybe?
@@sarangistudent8614 The fact a swiss ran FIFA and now another does says it all. Neautral in the war cos they are cowardly
Aboubakar has actually stated that he planned to leave Saudi Arabia even before CR7's rumored transfer because he didn't feel comfortable in Saudi Arabia anymore.
that decisison was worth it
Wtf is an Aboubakar and who cares about his opinion? Get that sh*t of the road bruh
@@Sanjiv-kn8uswhat decision ? they kicked him 😂😂
@@alberto6769Thats what happens when you openly ask questions about an authoritarian monarchy.
Not really he's just not as good as Cristiano and Talisca @@LiftandCoa
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALFIE!!!
Just think about Dubai possibly joining the Basketball Euroleague next year, replacing a team like Crvena zvezda and virtually canceling the Belgrade Derby, which is simply a legendary game, full of history, talent and passion.
Another fine example of how stupid and corrupt our sports governing bodies have become.
ZVEZDA MENTIONED ❤🤍❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️🤍
Just think no World Cup in England for almost 75 years but 3, yes 3 in Mexico. Because everyone watches Mexican football every week, don’t they.
If the Europeans allow this, they aren't any less corrupt than the Middle Easterns bribing them. Corruption always involved someone paying and someone getting paid.
@sarangistudent8614
how many years were Mexican fans banned from travelling in international football, in comparison to England fans?
@@sarangistudent8614 what does that have to with hosting?
4:35
I knew this story before but just wanted to make it clear:
You have to be really screw up when Galatasaray and Fenerbahce
1. agree with each other about you and
2. deny the bag you offered them despite needing it very much.
Yeah, they insulted pretty much their national pride by denying them their pre-game show, (as the video stated, due to the 100th year anniversary), which included paying homage to the national hero of WW1, the icon and architect of Republic of Turkey "Mustafa Kemal Ataturk", as well as denying them the use of their national anthem. Both teams were reportedly at their hotels, ready to go to the match and the Turkish Football Federation let them know about these developments, and as you said, in a rare show of solidarity with these two clubs, they both chose their national identity and pride over the bag after the chairmen consulted with each other.
Maybe turks shouldnt have prostitute themselves to get oil money lmao
Did Henderson know anything about Saudi Arabia at all before he went there?
Not making any comment about whether it’s better or worse - but going from living in Sunderland, Liverpool and then Saudi Arabia is an enormous culture shock. Absolutely no surprise he and his family didn’t settle there…
Breaking: Footballers are dumb
tl'dr = Jordan Henderson is a bit dim
His few weeks at the Qatar WC probably led him to believe he would gel easily with that kind of culture because he had a lovely time there.
Footballers are not known for their intelligence, and due to the vast sums of money they make from a young age, they never have to really plan to far ahead for the future, so forward thinking is just not what they do.
So he probably never foreseen the fact that living in that culture is a hell of a lot different then spending a few weeks there with his English team mates in a hotel
He was commuting to and from and living in Bahrain
Liverpool and Sunderland are shit holes. Saudi is just a sandy shit hole
Thought it was a joke when told you can't eat bacon, hold hands in public, drink alcohol or put a sports bet on because the laws are archaic
Saudi league should be called ONLYFANS for footballers.
Oily Fans
Oily fans lol
OILYFANS! Spread the word, guys!
Which would be ironic in itself considering their average match attendance. IfOnlyFans maybe ?
It should be called NoFans
Most of the comments are satire, one of if not the biggest issue with the Saudi Pro League is lack of domestic legacy and economic support. The average Saudi citizen has too much to worry about in their daily life than to keep up with the football.
Europe and South America have decades of club history. Relegations, promotions, stale years of no growth the whole nine yards. Saudi is trying to bring in top talent yes and pay high fees and make dazzling spectacles but the home support system just isn’t there.
Economically rich Saudis are treating football like a pet project because it’s successful worldwide but again it’s only successful because it didn’t start as a money making business it has solid foundations in culture and history. You don’t have Saudi fans that will tattoo their clubs crest to their heads or form ultras. They are too worried about living conditions to devout time out of their life on football teams.
what support, camels don't play football.
Happy birthday Alfie, hope you had a great day!!
I have to say, the drop in attendances is honestly quite impressive considering the investment, few other leagues could manage it. I'm sure this stat is provided further into the video than I have watched so far, but in round 18 last year, there was an average attendance of 10,800, this year, just 6000 in round 18.
They do compete in AFC Champions League. Next step would be to enhance that, especially amidst the Super League developments in Europe.
Unfortunately, they have kind of ruined the AFC Champions League within Asia anyway, certainly amongst most fans, by now hosting the quarter finals, semi finals and final in Saudi Arabia.@@Coach-rq6jx
@@Coach-rq6jx I don't know if the comment sent, so sorry if this appears twice, but they have already harmed any hopes of that, at least amongst fans in Asia, many of whom are annoyed at the quarter finals, semi finals and finals of the ACL being played in Saudi Arabia.
@@Coach-rq6jx no one (outside those countries) gives a fuck about the AFC champions league though let’s be honest,
@@nonofyourbuisness8373 Most people in AFC countries don't like it to the extent that the UCL is liked in Europe, and as I replied to his comment too, they decided to host all of the quarter finals, semi finals and the final of the AFC CL in saudi arabia, which isn't popular, and won't help grow the popularity if people can't even watch their team in the competition.
Babe, wake up, Alfie posted another Saudi Pro League 40 minute banter
I hate how people think saudi is top 5 let alone better than Ligue 1, MLS, Brazillian Serie A, etc just because they bought a bunch of washed players
No one thinks that it is better than the mls though
‘Washed players’ the irony 😂
@@ChronicTheHempHog-mf3nh is it not true? saudi just buying 30 + year old players who had awful seasons in europe and could not do it anymore, in a couple years they will be fucked over as they don't care about youth development and are just buying foreign players.
@@anthonymartiaIi never said it was lol I said it’s ironic because the poster boy club for the mls is buying Busquetes Alaba and Suarez
Serie A is the 2nd best league right now, What u on?
I had a friend who moved to Saudi Arabia to teach in the womens' university. She told me there was a Philippine driver who drove the university bus. He had a contract for five years, but he had to get permission to leave the country because they kept his passport. He couldn't leave freely under any circumstance. When I heard that, I knew how Saudi Arabia treats it's immigrant workers. Plus we all know how badly and how many died building the stadiums in Qatar for the World Cup. There are no rights for foreign workers there. Is it any wonder that the players who move there for the money think it's crap. Do we think Henderson wasn't paid while he was there? It's totally possible.
Simply hate bcs you say what you hear. Come over here and see things yourself not the media hate on us. We’re using sports as a means to invite people to come over and witness the reality. 😂
@@abetoperez3969wow deluded
@abetoperez3969 what reality is that?
@@abetoperez3969 "Come here for work, we don't take you passport away. Trust me, bro." Ahahaha, do you need to repeat your stick in front of the mirror to believe it yourself or do they pay you?
@@abetoperez3969ahhh that’s why you’re in multiple comments hahaha defending it hahaha you’re a Saudi bot 😂😂😂. If you pay millions to come I’ll go!!
Me watching one half of a Saudi game : Ewwww
Me watching a 40 minute Saudi league fall off video: Gourmet food.
You haven’t really watched the big ones
No way government sponsored sports teams in an country with unlimited money leads to a bad and unhealthy league this is nuts 🤯
Didn't Putin try a Super League as well?
the J League is much more sustainable than camel league, you can watch their games for free too on youtube
@@emikomina i rather watch Ronaldo than that trash league, and not even SPOT TV stream it.
@@protocetus499
When Ronaldo leaves, will you still watch the league? That's the issue that people like you refuse to understand. No one cares about Al Nassar the team, not even the Saudis care. You can call the J League "trash" all you want, but it doesn't rely on stupidly large player salaries to be at all relevant.
The Jordan Henderson jokes will never get old.
Love these videos. Any chance the audio could be uploaded as podcasts so I can listen on the commute?
You can open in a browser and set to play in background.
Only way is gonna be paying for CZcams prem so u can listen with the screen off.
if you use firefox there's youtube plugins that'll let you d/l the audio.
@@oyunboldboldbaatar5519or CZcams revanced 😂
I'd be very interested in a video on how Cape Verde are so good at football for such a tiny country. So interested that I would rewatch it on repeat until it got at least 100k views
A simple factor is Cape Verde was colonized by Portugal in times long gone, there are descendants of a Cape Verdian diaspora that live all over the place, Including most importantly - Portugal.
The same could be said for Croatia, among others. On the flip side, it'd be interesting to see why huge countries like China and India suck at football.
@@maverick5408 different levels though. Croatia has a population of 4 mil, Cape Verde has a population of 600k. That's like LA compared to Baltimore or Milwaukee
nah Alfie wont cover that because there is no angle to signal his virtue.
@@G4MER28 you're full of it... And if that's how you think then why do you watch his videos?
I loved how the picture was lorenzo insinge when Alfie says 'in short' 😂
The Saudis booed during a minute of silence for Beckenbauer?
Pathetic...
Barca throwing homophobic insults at CR7 during Johan Cruyff remembrance. Absolutely pathetic La Liga definitely on the decline🤡🤓
@@illuminate8321considering you think the Saudi league isn’t falling apart, your opinion is clearly a shit one😂I suppose Saudi can’t have a downfall if it was never good
I agree with you that was disrespectful
@@illuminate8321 SPL averages 8,000 in attendance and has abysmal viewership while simultaneously paying the highest wages. Don't even.
Beckenbauer better than any saudi national team player ever
A more interesting phenomenon related to Saudi Arabia, in my opinion, is the fact Saudi players very rarely play outside of Saudi Arabia. To my knowledge, the 2018 FIFA World Cup is the only Saudi squad with players currently playing abroad. I believe this is something worth investigating.
Many saudi players play outside of Saudi, they just don’t get picked. The sports board only picks players from Al hilal and al nasser, I feel there’s a lot of favoritism in saudi football, genuine don’t get picked especially if they’re Shia which is a discriminated minority
Why would they leave they're countries with all the money there just to go to a whole different countries with different cultures it's like a confront zone
I used to travel to Kazakhstan a few years ago from Sweden. Kazakhstan was already in UEFA for years since, but the Premier League of Kazakhstan is unpopular to domestic fans, something surprising. Because I can speak Russian, I did try to ask the local population of what's going on to Kazakhstani football. They said that corruption is rife, and the state used UEFA sponsorship to bankroll their personal interests and fuel corruption. For ardent football fans there, they blamed FC Astana for robbing Kazakhstani football.
I think the situation in Saudi Arabia speaks the same volume to what happened in Kazakhstan. Don't be fooled by their Euro 2024 performance, look at how the money is used first. Kazakhstan being accused of sportswashing and that their UEFA membership since 2002 is served for this purpose, must have some reasons.
It is not corruption, they don't know how to play football 🤣🤣🤣
@@leo-messi61its both honestly
@@haydencollins6361 corruption is rampant in latin America and Africa, still they are playing well
Kazakhstan's case is fascinating if you understand their history and geographical perspective. This country is a former Soviet state, but geographically it lies between Europe and Asia (although only 2% belongs to Europe). But that alone fuelled their sportswashing ambitions. By joining the UEFA in 2002, it wanted to demonstrate its greed and its Europeanness. The fact that Kazakhstan is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world further strengthens Kazakhstan's delusion, especially given it is an authoritarian state.
Problem? It's tremendous.
1. It does not have a football culture. The Soviets' violent repression on Kazakhs meant they have to start from nothing. That also includes struggling for a root. By using football however, the Kazakh state wanted to fulfil its authoritarian desires. Hence the case of Kazakhstan's sportswashing campaign.
2. Its geography. Given the context of Kazakhstan's relations with totalitarian Russia and China, it can't risk antagonise the Russians and Chinese. Now Russia is banned from all European football activities, so it can only play friendlies. Russia has threatened to join the AFC several times, but it has not done so. For Kazakhstan, Russia's actions over the possible AFC move will be instrumental. If Russia still wants to stay European, it will be okay; but if Russia decides to go Asian, Kazakhstan may have to terminate their European hope. The AFC isn't known in protecting other nations or even supporting human rights, something unimaginable for Kazakhstan if Russia is due to invade the country.
3. In the former Soviet nations, football is a political matter. Considering two things above, I am surprised if Kazakhstani football is impartial. Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan have issues with political football, and Kazakhstan is not an exception. FC Astana, if I remember right, was created in 2009 by the Kazakh government to weaponise further their sportswashing aim. But since it has government's backing, it has, instead, proven too ruinous for Kazakh football lovers.
So there you go. They play sportswashing, but Kazakhstan may have miscalculated the move. Sadly, Kazakhstan's attitude may have played a key role inspiring Saudi Arabia to do the same.
@@peruano-quichwa---aymara8611 This is one reason why I believe that Kazakhstan will soon do a Kazexit from the UEFA. It will be a painful Kazexit, but if it needs safety, it has no choice.
Happy birthday Alfie 🎉
Stuttgarts ito was offered almost four times his salary and turned it down too.
Gotta love it
It's pretty funny that so many foreign players are living outside of Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Messi was photographed at a grocery store in Florida shortly after his move to Inter Miami.
6-0 😂
@@yerrrmum1830 Camel Do'or
Ronaldo can choose to sign there for $$$$$ to play football. But to say its better than liegue 1 and outright lie to the world means he also sold his soul, and that is disgusting
Im not surprised by the blowout with Al Nassar. Inter miami has been in a slump, and before messi, was the worst team in the league.
It is also MLS pre season. These games don't mean anything from a results perspective. It is about getting guys up to fitness and gel for when the real league starts in a month.
This is normally accepted by supporters of all clubs so no one puts stock in them. Miami's global tour has had 1000x more attention and has people drawing all sorts of conclusions. It is all strange to us who've followed MLS for many years.
@@SJPace1776
Yup, but obviously, all the SPL fanboys will use it as proof that the SPL is a superior league. Personally, I just saw it as the end result of Miami's poor defense. I hope they can change that, but as an LAFC fan, I'm happy with our signings.
@@SirSayakaMikiThe3rdboth leagues are crap Serie A Premier League and even La Liga are clear
They are also literally circling the globe and playing games. Imagine that jet lag.
@@sdot5389 true, I imagine that doesn't help. Really though, Inter Miami just has a legit problem with its defense.
Great content as always. Keep up the good work!
Being paid a ludicrous amount of money eventually gets boring when no one is watching and you're not getting the attention you used to get. Remember athletes still have a bit of showmanship but when no one is looking at them, eventually the money is worthless compared to the attention.
And there is the issue of your home life: can't imagine it's a treat for significant others in your life. Look at Harry Kane: wife was a key in making the move to Munich and in deciding to stay beyond one season. She checked the schools, spent time there ahead of his arrival. In spite of not speaking German fluently yet, he likes it there. There is so much more to a mature athlete than just their hours on the pitch or training.
The biggest issue for me was that football is about culture and history, like the reason why football is very successful in Europe, it's because of the history of the clubs and the European culture.
you can't just make a league hugely followed and watched all over the world just by buying superstars
that's like another website signing youtube's biggest 10 or 20 youtubers
you can have them on your website but you still don't have youtube's world wide users or popularity still and those youtubers aren't going to make your website a huge success just by their fans alone
in the saudi leauge, they don't have the elements that made european football popular, players are just one component of it.
It's like if they just tried buying up NBA stars and thinking we would stop watching the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Golden State, etc.
Or trying to compete with MLB teams that have existed since the 1800s.
It just doesn't work that way. People are fans of teams, not players. Of course, players can obviously develop a following, but as you said, you can't make a league super popular when the teams are irrelevant.
MLS and the J League, for example, have certainly done a lot to improve over the decades. I personally got into LAFC because I moved to LA and wanted to follow my local team. That's how followings grow imo.
I find it honorable that with all the Liverpool legends going to Saudi Arabia, Salah didn’t go even though he got the craziest offer. True legend.
Is that how low the bar is for honour in this society?
Salah could've stayed for his own happiness.
The Saudi League is like Anzhi Makhachkala. Lots of people talk about it but barely anyone watches their games
January transfer window was weak in general this year not only in saudi arabia
wow, really???
They're right.@@T.E.S.S.
For very different reasons
@@chriskinge9917 the reason doesnt matter, its objectivly true and not at all mentioned in the video
@@NeroPiroman because it's not relevant? There have been many underwhelming transfer windows in the past, especially January ones. This one is interesting because it directly follows an insane Saudi summer transfer window.
Happy birthday bro! Keep up the good work
Just like the Chinese super league, football in Saudi will die off no matter how much money is pumped in. The environment isn’t not ideal, the regime is not suitable, the population are too different compared to the European and South American passion of football and the standard is no where near good enough.
Both very interesting and informative, thank you!
Happy birthday Alfie! 🎉
Football is not just a sport, it's a culture. Saudi Arabia is learning quickly that no amount of money can buy a culture.
They have a culture. It's just backwards and misogynistic
I didn’t like your videos too much until I saw the AFCON piece and was pretty impressed. But your birthday comment had me howling 😂😂😂 great work 👏🏾
Incredibly informative. Enjoyed that a lot, thanks 🤗
Easy to see why: a) Who the hell really wants to watch Saudi football and b) Who really wants to live in Saudi Arabia?
Millions and millions of people.
@@abdulazizalrashed3731 Yeah, keep telling yourself that.
Not even the Chinese league collapsed that fast man
It’s not a good look when the only person who likes your league is the egomaniac who’s life would be the same everywhere!
Brilliant journalism Alf, wish I could like more than once!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Earning all that money and still being miserable, imagine that. Goes to show what an absolute joke the Saudi Pro League.
I love how hard you go after everyone who deserves it. Beautiful.
Alfie is 28?? Damn happy birthday
Yet another gem 💎. Made my day.
HITC in top form ❤
They'll abandon the project half way. Same happened when they lost the race to the first 1km high skyscraper to the Burj.
The burj isn’t 1km, can’t say how their effort is going though
They will abandon Liv Golf too, when the merger falls apart.
Just like they'll abandon the Line and Neom if they have any wits.
Happy Birthday Alfie.
I am from Brazil, Brazilian players of a decent level, good enough to at least mid level clubs in Europe have been coming and going to Saudi Arabia for 2, 3 decades. They do exactly that, stay sometimes 3, sometimes 6, sometimes 12 months but never their entire contract and come back. This has been how that league is normally run and this is not surprising, and I would say, not even catastrophic.
Yes, they come to Saudi Arabia for money. But do you think that a South American or Eastern European player comes to play for Wolverhampton or Bournemouth because of the fantastic cultural life, excellent food and amazing weather? If the issue is the source of the money being dirty, this is not any different of PSG, Man City and Newcastle.
The league is relatively poor and all talks of becoming bigger than the top European leagues have always been delusional, but even before the current round of signings Saudi Arabian club football has achieved considerably more than other leagues tipped to rule the world. China rationally pulled out of their project, the MLS can't beat Mexican teams, the J-League managed to become healthy and sustainable but far from extremely relevant abroad. Meanwhile with those mid level brazilians, serbians, africans and others Saudi Arabia has been quite strong in the CAF club competitions.
Don't get me wrong, I hate to see unashamed attempts of buying success and ignoring the importance of tradition and culture in football, but frankly what is the difference between the Saudis and the Premier League in that matter anyway.
Brilliantly put together, narrated, everything.
Great insightful content Alfie! A follow up if possible in a few months would be good
Alfie, don't accept any invitations from the saudi embassy in london.
Filipino and Indonesian migrants love football. So why aren't they filling up the Stadiums to see Ronaldo and co?
Low Wages? No Time off? Poor treatment from Saudis?
Ronaldo went to Bali on Tour once and people flocked everywhere to see him. So....
Saudi arabia order them to watch soccer, otherwise they will get 100 lashes 🤣🤣🤣
@leo-messi61 At this point, those that know anything about Saudi can't laugh...the 100 lashes for not attending is probably exactly true
@@haydencollins6361 sometimes it's sad and horrible 😬😬😬
subbed. loving it.. keep it honest.
Great Video, thanks a lot!!
Imagine a super rich NBA G league team owner convinced Lebron James $200mill to play in the G league instead of NBA. Would you pay money to watch him play against minor league players in minor league arenas with minor league attendance? Me neither........but good for Lebron I guess.
The attendances fluctuate hugely depending on the team and if star players are playing. The heat has to be a major factor, esp for European players.
Brilliant vlog!!
Thank you for using hypotheses correctly where so many would have said theories. Big respect.
Happy birthday Alfie! 🐐⚽️ 🎙️
There's something about the blatant artificiality of their league that annoys me. It would be like Richard Branson trying to set up Major League Camel Racing in Llandudno. All wrong.
Happy birthday bro. U the man
Great video, I almost died at your explanation of your birthday celebrations
Happy birthday Alfie
CRonaldo is the perfect poster boy for the Saudi Pro League. Make of it, what you will.
And Messi is for the MLS yet the MLS isn’t even the best league in their continent 😂
@@yerrrmum1830Saudi league is closer to Pakistani league
@@yerrrmum1830as bad as the MLS ,still better than anything the saoudite doing,full stadium,fan interested in sport and the local team,
@@thegoodgunner stop it 😂 quality wise they’re no where near Saudi League 😂 Liga Max has the MLS in a leash 😂
@@yerrrmum1830
lol, shut up.
The MLS and especially the Liga MX, have something that the Saudi League doesn't. Good attendance/viewership, and both are actually sustainable. They both are also superior to the Suadi League, with only the most front-loaded, "Petit Prince" funded teams being good. AL Nassar wrecking one of the worst teams in MLS in a friendly is irrelevant, especially when they lacked their star player. At the end of the day, the Saudi league is unsustainable and lacks any real interest.
happy birthday, Alfie!
It is hard to have a league without fans.
But but but, Ronaldo fan boys said his influence will make it huge
I remember back in the day Anzhi paying crazy fee for Eto’o and Russian clubs raiding players from Europe and Latin America after that it’s the Chinese Super League now it’s the Saudis and the Muslim World. There’s no different in all of them mostly are just sports-washing. The Old World market of Football (Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa) is over saturated that’s why in my opinion Messi, Suarez and many other ex Barcelona players are doing the right thing by going to the New World of football (USA) the market maybe smaller but it’s emerging and it’s also the largest economy in the World.
This makes it all the more hilarious when Cristiano Ronaldo claims that the Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1.
I'm a fan of Ronaldo but he's been saying outrageous things lately. Why does he need to throw shades at other award ceremonies just because Messi won it? It makes him look so insecure.
And comparing his goal tally with Haaland's is kind of ludicrous when you consider that the Saudi league ranks below many 2nd and 3rd division leagues of European countries. By his logic, if a player scores 50 goals in the Championship and Haaland scores 45, the championship guy is a better goalscorer than Haaland.
Ronaldo is one of the best players of all time but he seriously needs to keep in touch with reality.
He's always been insecure. He used to be good enough and didn't need to talk shit but now he isn't and has to run his mouth to stay relevant
I can’t see a division 3 team beating inter Miami 6-0 in a friendly tbh, especially with Messi busquets and others playing
Just a salty envious fella, always has been.
@@realife1542 Do you realize, a) it's a friendly and b) miami is in pre season?
@@raketensven3127 doesn’t make a difference , according to you Newport would put 6 past ( division 2.) past inter Miami then ?
Well, the Cyprus Four Seasons story is an immediate early highlight of the year.
Having been to beaches in Cyprus one assumes particularly rules about how to dress and what not to do with people you aren't married to were among the things there, although, of course, approaching any of those topics will ironically also get you sanctioned on youtube.
I worked for Saudi princes and princesses when they visited Germany in the Eighties. I can corroborate Alfie‘s observations from Cyprus. It is hard to recount any stories from that time without using any combination of words from hookers, booze, cocaine and heroin.
"No bro, the Saudi league is the next big thing, trust me bro, trust me".
I swear Messi's move to Inter Miami looks better now than it did back then.
Yeah Playing with “soccer” with mc Donald’s employees is better than the Saudi league👍🏾
@@DejiNova Well his sons are attending topnotch American private schools for Hispanic, his house is worth 10 mills $$$ and ofc Miami's beaches and warm weather... That is basically Barcelona on steroids without the Catalonian independence bullshit. And when he is completely done half of the club belongs to him now and Messi can get his sons into the Academy with relative ease so yes
I think "Playing with “soccer” with mc Donald’s employees is better than the Saudi league"
@@gaoaibai6243Nope. I’ll take $200 mill a season everyday of the week. You play LGTBQ people. We good over here👍🏾
@@DejiNova your country should invest in schools instead of investing in football man.
@@gaoaibai6243 comparing Miami to Barcelona is dumb as hell
Excellent insights 👍🏻
Happy birthday belated, Alfie!
MLS' slow and steady approach to growth shows its virtue yet again.
Great video as always, Alfie. Also, happy birthday! :D
I think the reason Henderson left the saudi is because he cant play along with his teammates, he joined the wrong club , the club that not revolve around him , the way they treat him totally different compare to how al nassr build it for ronaldo and how al hilal build for Neymar and Mitrovic. Benzema also didn't get the same treatment like ronaldo neymar mitrovic, no wonder they feels unhappy over there. Imo Al nassr and Al hilal might the only clubs that really aiming to be successful at the highest level compare to other saudi clubs.
Happy birthday Alfie.
Saudi is the only country that you can't go to the post office after going to the gym. Hehe the post office has a sign that says official Saudi dress only.
Mohamed Salah was the only big player in the world where it made sense for him to move to the Saudi League.
He is Muslim, an amazing footballer, a good example of how a player from that area of the world can make it massive and his family is nearer to him there.
It made so much sense and showed how much he loves playing football to stay in England.
No. It's made sense for many players such as cr7, mane, mahrez, mendy & benzi to go there
@@yemi3266 Yea. For money.
@@yemi3266 because they are getting old and no european club will pay them even half of their saudi salaries.
Great work
Really intelligent and insightful analysis