Arabian football is no longer satisfied only with the “old men”. And dream of the World Cup

The goal, now clear, is the World Cup. Bring them to Saudi Arabia within the next 10-15 years. In the meantime the sheiks are working on the brand, image and media appeal of a championship, the Saudi League, which is rather sad and yet to be invented. They started with the “elephants”, with the over 30s. Cristiano Ronaldo, last year, was the forerunner. He will soon be joined by great champions: this summer he chose the Middle East Karim Benzema – the last Ballon d’Or – and so did that moped in midfield which is the now ex Chelsea N’Golo Kanté. Kalidou Koulibaly is also on the same path, after just one year in the Premier League. They had also tried it with Lionel Messi, who nevertheless preferred the American dollars. But on the other hand, with certain figures, especially when it comes to the last contract of their career and players who have won a lot, sometimes everything, it’s difficult to give up. It would be naive to even be surprised.

The new fact, however, is that in recent weeks the Arabs have also bet on the under 30s. Top-level footballers who still have a lot to prove in Europe and who instead give up any career ambitions. And it is a fact that questions the Italian league closely, for obvious reasons.

The last shot is Milinkovic-Savic: for the Serbian it was supposed to be the summer of the leap towards the big stages. On the other hand, the conditions were favourable, because a year after his contract expired, the midfielder could be bought at a fairly reasonable price, with the possibility for his agents to secure a better contract in some big European clubs. It seems that the president of Lazio Lotito was also ready to deal with the departure request, thirty million, and it doesn’t always happen. Juventus and Milan wanted him, some English teams had also moved. Then Al Hilal arrived with an offer of 40 million and 20 per season for the player. Indispensable proposal. Meanwhile, Lazio, coach Maurizio Sarri asked, was ready to throw themselves on the substitute, Piotr Zieliński. Nothing doing, the Arabs have arrived again with a contract worth 12 million a season. So the Polish, fresh champion of Italy, is a step away from Arabia, in the footsteps of Marcelo Brozovic who has already taken this decision a few days ago. And the Saudis are also aiming for Paul Pogba, Domenico Berardi from Sassuolo and Hirving Lozano, again from Naples. The list could soon get longer, renewing the downward considerations on the increasingly less attractive Italian championship, poorer and unable to retain its talents, more or less great.

A few years ago, they tried to do something similar in China as well in the early 2000s. As for Arabia, the choices of the government were involved there too, straddling sport and geopolitics. Then European and Italian football resisted a little better. And in the shadow of the Wall there ended up Marcello Lippi and then Paolo Cannavaro, in the guise of coaches, an overpaid Graziano Pellè, of whom in Italy – after that cursed penalty against Germany at the 2016 European Championships – we don’t have a great memory. And even in that case, some high (or very high) level players also chose China: such as the Brazilian Oscar, who at the time was a highly valuable midfielder – and from Chelsea – and seemed destined to become one of the great protagonists in the championships and in European cups. It was supposed to be a turning point, it has become the example of Chinese football’s decline parable. In fact, a few years later it was the government that blocked investments, spending (football) review Dragon model, perhaps (and also) in the awareness that the results for the movement did not arrive, nor would they arrive.

Now it’s the turn of Saudi Arabia which, unlike China and strengthened by more developed diplomatic relations with the West, is trying a sort of pincer maneuver. By working and attracting players at home, and by working directly in Europe. For some time actually. Certain deals in recent years can also be interpreted in this sense: the properties of Newcastle are Arab – which spares no expense, see the purchase of Sandro Tonali – as well as a series of minor teams around Europe.

Saudi Arabia had aimed in the first instance at the 2030 World Cup, in partnership with Greece and Egypt. The candidacy was withdrawn at the end of June, taking note that the other projects in the field – especially that of Spain, Portugal and Morocco – are better equipped. Everything will be bet, it seems, on 2034. For money, logically. This is how the world goes around, so the ball rolls too.

In short, no scandal, moral and ethical considerations leave the time they find. If anything, a few questions: is it really just football? And is it really worth it?