Jordan Henderson is already gone, other footballers are dissatisfied with the Saudi Arabian pro League. Does the prestige project fail early on?
Aymeric Laporte is dissatisfied. More clearly than any other Saudi Arabian professional footballer League He previously criticized the dazzling major project in the desert state. “They care about us, but not enough for my taste”said the Spaniard, working for the Al-Nassr club around superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, to the Spanish daily newspaper “As”.
Sobering results
The defender draws a sobering conclusion after almost six months and seems almost melancholy when he remarks that they are in Europe “much more” take care. The 29-year-old also complained about the long-winded car traffic in Riyadh.
Laporte, along with stars like Neymar, Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mané, was part of the high-profile entourage that set off from Europe to the promising peninsula in the summer – high salaries awaited. The clubs estimated that the shopping spree cost more than 970 million euros. But after the exhilarating summer of transfers, there seems to be a bit of a hangover feeling at the moment. The number of spectators in the local stadiums is often low, and some top stars are frustrated. “They didn’t make it easy for us. In fact, there are a lot of players who are unhappy”said Laporte.
Henderson gone, Firmino and Benzema on the move
The discontent has recently become clearer. The former one Liverpool-Captain Jordan Henderson fled after a few months as an employee of Al-Ettifaq and joined Ajax Amsterdam in the winter. Ex-Hoffenheim player Roberto Firmino (Al-Ahli) and Portuguese Jota (Al-Ittihad) have recently been linked with a move to European clubs.
According to media reports, Karim Benzema, the former Real Madrid professional, is actively working on his return to Europe. The relationship with his club Al-Ittihad is strained. The Frenchman did not return to the training camp in time to leave. He also reportedly stayed away from training for a few weeks.
Football league is considered special Prestige project
The league bosses would probably like to keep him in the country. For some time now, the kingdom around Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has not only been recruiting the best football professionals, but has also been involved in all areas of sport. Golf, Formula 1, boxing – even winter sports. The football league is considered a special prestige project. Also with regard to the 2034 World Cup, which the country can no longer take away due to a lack of competition.
The criticism from Europe is great. The human rights situation in the country is criticized. Homosexuality is a criminal offense and can be punished with the death penalty. Henderson received massive criticism from the LGBTQ+ community after his move to Al-EttifaqCommunity, which he had championed during his time as captain at Liverpool. The abbreviation LGBTIQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and others. Now Henderson has apologized to the community. He spoke of a mistake because of his decision for Saudi Arabia. “But at the same time they are only mistakes if you don’t learn from them”he added.
The head of the Pro League, Saad Allazeez, felt compelled to downplay the high-profile departure. “It’s a part of football, of the whole world and of life, in all careers. Sometimes, despite all their efforts, people just can’t adapt or find their way.”he was quoted by the news agency AP quoted.
Kroos: “Decision against football”
Benzema’s former colleague and ex-national player Toni Kroos has a clear opinion on the move to the liquid kingdom. Last fall he made this in an interview with the “Sports Illustrated” clearly. From the Real Madrid midfielder’s perspective, it is “In the end, a decision for money – and against football.” This is also why he recently received whistles from Saudi Arabian fans when he stopped in Saudi Arabia with Real for the Spanish Super Cup.
Only Ronaldo sets the mood
Kroos used to play with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in Madrid. The 38-year-old, who has already been photographed wearing traditional headgear and a sword, is considered a figurehead of the Pro League. He had already joined Al-Nassr before the big superstar addition in the summer. And Ronaldo does a lot of advertising. “I think the Saudi league is no worse than the French league”said the Portuguese. There is only there “two or three teams at a good level”he said, adding: “There is more competition in Saudi Arabia.” In the long term, in his opinion, the league will develop into one of the three or four best leagues in the world.
There was a similar attempt in China a few years ago that failed. However, the player names and transfers were smaller. Laporte believes that structures in the clubs could change: “We’re working on it every day, negotiating, so to speak, to see if it gets a little better.” On the other hand, a change for the central defender is not out of the question either. Regarding a possible departure, he said that the time for such thoughts has not yet come, but added: “But it could come in the future if this momentum continues.”