In December 2022, the recruitment of the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo by the Al-Nassr club (Ryad), one of the best in Saudi Arabia, for a contract estimated at 400 million euros for two years, suggested that the European champion 2016 would not be the only star to go into exile in the kingdom. Few people, however, expected the scale of the Saudi offensive during this summer transfer window. Several big names in world football have succumbed to the staggering salaries offered by these formations with almost unlimited means. Al-Hilal (Ryad)’s offer to sign French striker Kylian Mbappé, including a transfer fee of 300 million euros for Paris-Saint-Germain and an annual salary of 700 million euros for the scorer – who should not, however, follow up – attests to this.

Some players rebuffed Saudi advances. Argentinian Lionel Messi preferred Inter Miami to Al-Hilal, Egyptian Mohamed Salah remained loyal to Liverpool and Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moved from Chelsea to Marseille. But other internationally renowned African footballers left Europe much earlier than they expected. Thus, the Senegalese Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly left Chelsea and joined the clubs of Al-Ahli (Jeddah) and Al-Hilal for annual salaries of 14 million and 25 million euros. Ivorian Seko Fofana, debauched from RC Lens – with whom he was preparing to play in the Champions League – accepted the offer from Al-Nassr, where he will earn around 15 million euros per year, or seven times more than in France.

The list is expected to grow by the end of the transfer window, September 1. Al-Nassr, who wants to pair Senegalese Sadio Mané with Cristiano Ronaldo, has offered him €40m net a year, while he earns €20m gross at Bayern Munich. The 2022 African champion, according to our information, is studying this proposal very closely. The Algerian Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), captain of the Fennecs, is about to respond favorably to the offer of Al-Ahli, who offers him 86 million euros over two seasons, while the Moroccan Hakim Ziyech could also leave Chelsea.

« Soft power »

The spectacular offensive of Saudi clubs on European football is facilitated by the means made available to them by the State, mainly in favor of the most powerful (Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, in Jeddah) . “African players are particularly targeted by Saudi clubs. What is happening now responds to the strategy of Mohammed Ben Salman, the Crown Prince, who wants to use sport, and especially football, as a lever of soft power. Saudi Arabia has made Africa one of its areas of influence. Attracting African footballers, especially if they are known, is therefore no coincidence, ”explains Jean-Baptiste Guégan, teacher, consultant and author of Geopolitics of Sport, another explanation of the world.

But the Saudi kingdom is not only betting on financial aspects to convince African players to compete in the Saudi Pro League, which it wants to raise to the top ten in the world. “Culture and religion are emphasized. After signing with Al-Ittihad, Karim Benzema explained that as a Muslim, it was important for him to be in a Muslim country, to be close to Mecca. There are African players of Muslim faith who can also be sensitive to this aspect, ”continues Jean-Baptiste Guégan.

A partially admissible argument for Stéphane Canard, the president of the Union of French Sports Agents (UASF): “Religion is a private matter, so I don’t want to talk about it. It seems obvious to me that the primary motivation is financial. Leaving big European clubs for the Saudi championship is not, in my eyes, a sporting progression. Indeed, the Saudi championship, even if it is today one of the three best in Asia – with those of Japan and South Korea – is still far from the level of the best European leagues.

Unpaid wages

Former Senegalese international Ferdinand Coly, however, believes that the exile of some of his compatriots from Saudi Arabia will not be detrimental to the Teranga Lions, “at least in the short term”. “There is a CAN [African Cup of Nations] in 2024 in Côte d’Ivoire, and even if some of our best elements, who have clearly made a financial choice, evolve in Saudi Arabia, they will be competitive, wants to believe the former defender of Lens and Parma. But after ? There will be qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, we are talking about players who are over 30, and the level in England or Germany is much higher than the Saudi Arabian championship. It will be up to the coach to take responsibility if internationals perform less well in Saudi Arabia. »

Stéphane Canard also warns players whose status is not comparable to that of stars recruited by Saudi clubs, against the risk of salary delays: “There is a huge salary inflation and average players will benefit . But if Benzema or Koulibaly will be paid on time, because the Saudis, for image reasons, cannot do otherwise, I invite the others, much less known and therefore less paid, to be attentive. The examples of players seizing the International Football Federation (FIFA) for unpaid wages in the Persian Gulf are indeed frequent.