Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo made the high-profile move to Saudi giants; the soccer world has seen a landmark change. From a major influx of money to yesteryear superstars finding a new common ground; CR7’s move has connected Saudi to the world. With stars like Karim Benzema, Neymar Jr., and N’golo Kante joining, SPL has gotten the perfect start to grow their league. And as per the latest reports; the league has put up a plan to achieve its intended growth.
In the latest episode of ‘The Joe Pomp Show’; entrepreneur and sports media personality Joe Pompliano spoke in detail about Saudi’s potential plan to grow the league. He laid down their 7-year plan to achieve revenue and credibility growth. Lastly, he also gave a sneak peek into how many more European players Saudi clubs might sign in the coming transfer window.
Saudi League aims to sign 50 European players in a bid to grow the league
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In the 194th episode of ‘The Joe Pomp Show’; host Joe Pompliano first revealed a bombshell by revealing the number of European caliber players the Saudi league has intended to sign. As per Pompliano, SPL wants 50 European players in its league, which means 20 more players considering 30 have already been signed. “They have said and ESPN is reporting this; they want to sign 50,” revealed the host. “Internally they have put the number as 50 [European] players that they want to sign. So it’s another 20 from here. Maybe it goes higher, maybe it goes lower but the ballpark is 20 more players they want to sign.”
The popular podcaster also revealed that the league intends to quadruple its revenue in the next 7 years. Moreover, the ultimate aim of Saudi is to be named in the same breath as the Top 10 leagues of the world. SPL plans to achieve this also by 2030. “They also want to increase the revenue of the league from $120 million to $480 million by 2030. And their main goal is to be counted in the Top 10 Leagues,” shared the host.
Today's podcast breaks down Saudi Arabia's investment in football.
I talk through the huge player salaries, who owns the individual teams, the perks that come with playing in the league & the country's master plan.
Apple: https://t.co/TobBn1j9qg
Spotify: https://t.co/Q1DAKEFXDl pic.twitter.com/y02kEd5Hqu— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) August 21, 2023
Interestingly, reports of Saudi’s 7-year plan come just a month after Cristiano Ronaldo made an audacious claim that SPL will be better than the Turkish and Dutch League in the next 12 months.
Cristiano Ronaldo meanwhile believes Saudi can be among the Top 10 Leagues in the next 12 months
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In the second week of July, Cristiano Ronaldo & Co were handed a 5-0 thrashing by La Liga mid-table side Celta Vigo. This scoreline surprised many as they didn’t expect the big names of Al Nassr to falter so badly. This result hence drew a comparison between the SPL and the MLS on which league is tougher. The 5 times Ballon d’Or post-friendly was quipped this question and he immediately chose his league without any remorse. “The Saudi league is better than MLS,” said CR7.
While the report mentioned cited SPL’s ambitions to be in the Top 10 leagues by 2030; Ronaldo believed that Saudi could achieve that feat in the next year itself. The former Juventus talisman predicted that SPL will overtake Turkey and the Dutch league in the coming 12 months. “In one year, more and more top players will come to Saudi. In a year the Saudi league will overtake the Turkish league and Dutch league,” Ronaldo added.
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Do you agree with Ronaldo’s predictions? Or do you think he is getting way too ambitious? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!