Barcelona president Joan Laporta always speaks his mind, whether you agree or not, Laporta tries to spin things his way or says things to incite a reaction. In this case Lapora spoke to CNN on the recent wave of top European soccer players going to the Saudi Pro League.
Laporta was adamant that there is “no sporting reason” to sign with a league like Saudi Arabia. “When a player, and with all respect, prefers to go to Saudi Arabia, basically there are no sporting reasons. You know, there are other reasons that are the priority. And the football must be the priority – the sporting reasons must be the priority.”
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Laporta was heavily criticized for not being able to resign Lionel Messi to Barcelona in the summer, Messi eventually signed with Major League Soccer, a destination that Laporta stated was “less pressure” for the Argentine.
Saudi Pro League top stars
Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, and Riyad Mahrez are the latest players to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané in the Saudi Pro League.
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The new season is set to kick off on August 11th and will be one of 34 weeks that will determine the Saudi Pro League champion. The Public Investment Fund acquired a 75% stake in Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr and is responsible for the flood of major acquisitions so the league can have more global appeal.
