Never before has Saudi Arabia’s local football scene been at the forefront of global interest. As recently as six months ago, few would have been able to forecast the rapidity with which their football league was transforming.
Plans to revamp the sport in the nation have been given a boost especially thanks to January’s arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite the disappointment of losing out on Lionel Messi to Inter Miami in the MLS, the Gulf Kingdom was able to get the current Ballon d’Or winner, Karim Benzema.
The move coincided with widespread reports of high-profile players being linked to Saudi Pro League clubs in exchange for financial support from the country’s Public Investment Fund. The Frenchman, formerly of Real Madrid, will certainly not be the only high-profile signing this offseason; a slew of other stars are on the brink of moving to the Middle East.
Who is expected to become Cristiano Ronaldo’s new teammate at Al-Nassr?
Hakim Ziyech of Morocco
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have apparently stepped up their pursuit of out-of-favor Chelsea forward, Hakim Ziyech in the hopes of making him the next A-list player to leave Europe for Saudi Arabia. A representative from the team is believed to be traveling to London to try to sign the Blues player.
The 30-year-old winger intended on making a loan move to Lionel Messi‘s Paris Saint-Germain in January, but had the deal fall through in the nick of time due to bureaucratic mishaps in west London.
Fabrizio Romano, a transfer analyst, now claims that the Moroccan is set to go to the Saudi Pro League, namely at Al-Nassr. According to reports, Ronaldo’s transfer following the 2022 World Cup has piqued the interest of the Moroccan, who is reportedly considering a move to the Kingdom to play alongside the Portuguese star.
