How does the Saudi Pro League compare to Messi’s MLS in terms of value? And can the Arabs threaten European football?

Saudi Arabia has dominated this year’s transfer window by bringing the biggest football stars of the current football season to its top competition. But how does the Saudi Pro League stand up against the top European leagues or Major League Soccer overseas in terms of league-wide value?

Saudi Arabia has conquered the transfer market, how does the value of its top competition stack up

A transfer window like no other. The Arabs have completely conquered the transfer market, as evidenced by the arrival of the biggest stars in world football. This, of course, has caused a meteoric rise in the value of the entire league.

According to Transfermarkt, the value of the Saudi Pro League has tripled from €329 million to €911 million in the last year. That is, of course, the biggest growth of any league in the world.

But when compared to the top five European leagues, the top Arab competition still fails to stand up to scrutiny. The Premier League, which dominates world football with a league value of more than €10 billion, is thus still a long way off. Even the top football competitions of Spain, Italy, Germany and France are far ahead of Saudi Arabia, which might not be so surprising.

What is striking, however, is the comparison with Major League Soccer, which has recently been boosted by star Lionel Messi. Indeed, the overseas top competition is still worth more, namely €1.25 billion.

However, with the current developments, it is quite likely that the two competitions could swap places as early as next transfer window, unless the Saudi Pro League can do it by the end of this summer.

The biggest stars of contemporary football have joined the Saudi Pro League

“The Saudi Pro League will grow, many more stars are still to come,” Cristiano Ronaldo said when he transferred from Manchester United to Al-Nassr last season.

Less than a year later, the league has names like Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané and Neymar. The star Brazilian recently moved to Al-Hilal, the most expensive club in the entire league, and has made himself the most valuable player in the competition.

So it’s probably only a matter of time before the Saudi Pro League rivals the best European football competitions. However, the financial resources at the disposal of the Arab sheikhs will definitely influence the future of football in the years to come.

Speaking of numbers…

The total value of the Saudi Pro League

1. august 2022 – 329 million euros

1. august 2023 – €911 million

Top 5 European Leagues:

Premier League – €10.5 billion

La Liga – 4.7 billion euros

Serie A – €4.5 billion

Bundesliga – €4.2 billion

Ligue One – 3.5 billion euros

* Major League Soccer – €1.2 billion

The most valuable clubs in the Saudi Pro League

1) Al-Hilal

Club value on 1 August 2022 – 61 million euros

Club value on 1 August 2023 – €221 million

Biggest arrivals: Neymar, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom

2) Al-Nassr

Club value on 1 August 2022 – €60 million

Club value on 1 August 2023 – €153 million

Biggest arrivals: Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, Marcelo Brozovic, Séko Fofana, Alex Telles

3) Al-Ahli

Club value on 1 August 2022 – €20 million

Club value on 1 August 2023 – €150 million

Biggest arrivals: Riyad Mahrez, Édouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Franck Kessié

4) Ittihad Club

Club value on 1 August 2022 – €31 million

Club value on 1 August 2023 – €119 million

Biggest arrivals: Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Jota, Fabinho

Source: Transfermarkt, Twitter