How Saudi Arabia Could Have Created the Craziest Team-Up Ever
If you have been keeping up with the news, you’ve likely heard or read about Saudi Arabia’s latest sports endeavors. LIV Golf and the PGA Tour have agreed to merge, and the sporting world is in a frenzy.
Golf is not the only sport where Saudi Arabia is making its presence known, though. The country has also become a major player in the soccer world, making headlines in October 2021 when the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, or PIF, purchased Newcastle United.
Since purchasing Newcastle, the Magpies have become one of the best teams in the Premier League. They have been purchasing elite players, have Eddie Howe masterfully managing the squad, and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years this season.
The Saudi Pro League has also been on the rise, acquiring superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. The league was also trying to court Lionel Messi — though Inter Miami appears to have won the battle — with an outrageous contract that would have seen him earn over €1 billion in two years.
Official, confirmed. Karim Benzema joins Al Ittihad on two year deal with option for further season. ⚫️ #AlIttihad
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 6, 2023
Benzema will earn almost €200m per season net salary, commercial deals included. pic.twitter.com/vSrkL4zjJI
In the last few days, the PIF has made a move that further cements its interest in soccer. It was announced on Monday that the PIF had acquired four of the best clubs in Saudi Arabia.
To most people, this makes sense. The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund investing in local soccer would benefit the nation of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Pro League — of course they would want to own these clubs.
However, when you look closely at this acquisition, a possibility begins to emerge. It’s a possibility that could have created one of the greatest team-ups soccer has ever seen.
The Acquisition
The four Saudi Arabian clubs that the PIF now owns are Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli.
Al-Ittihad recently won the Saudi Pro League, with Al-Nassr finishing in second. Al-Hilal is the most successful club in Saudi Arabia with 18 league titles. In the last 10 years, the Saudi Pro League has been won by one of these four clubs.
These are undeniably the four biggest clubs in Saudi Arabia. The PIF now has a 75% stake in each of these clubs, giving the fund a monopoly of sorts in Saudi Arabian club soccer.
The Potential Team-Up
Oh what could have been.
Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr and Karim Benzema will sign with Al-Ittihad this summer. Al-Hilal were trying to sign Messi. If Al-Hilal had been able to secure Messi’s services, all three of these players would be playing for teams owned by the PIF in Saudi Arabia.
You know who else is owned by the PIF? Newcastle. The Premier League team, the crown jewel of the PIF-owned soccer teams that will be playing in the Champions League next season.
Now that Newcastle is going to be playing in the Champions League, the club is going to need better players, not just to compete in the Champions League but also to retain their spot in the Champions League through a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Sure, Newcastle could hit the transfer market to bring in new players. They have the money and players will surely be attracted by high wages and the promise of Champions League soccer.
But, there was a reality where PIF could have had three of the best players in the world signed to their other teams in Saudi Arabia: Messi, Ronaldo and Benzema.
Newcastle could legally sign all three of these players on loan for next season while potentially finding a way around Financial Fair Play regulations that would typically prohibit multiple transfers of this magnitude.
People have dreamed of what a team with both Messi and Ronaldo would look like. Ronaldo has also already been linked with a move to Newcastle in the past.
Now, however brief, there was a way in which Messi, Ronaldo and Benzema could have been on the same team next season, forming a formidable attack that would scare opposition defenses and garner worldwide attention.
Will It Happen
Following Wednesday’s breaking news, no.
Multiple reports have confirmed that Messi has decided on his next club: Inter Miami. The Argentine legend, after several earlier reports that Al-Hilal was no longer in consideration, has spurned Saudi Arabia and is nearing a move to MLS and the United States.
Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his intention to stay at Al-Nassr next season.
Newcastle are also unlikely to sign one of Ronaldo or Benzema on loan, let alone both. The duo are no longer in their prime, and if Newcastle wants to continue their upward climb, they need to recruit younger players who will be at Newcastle for years to come, not just for a one-year Champions League retirement party.
Still, the timing of the PIF’s acquisition of the Saudi Arabian clubs is far too convenient. Weeks after Newcastle qualifies for the Champions League they go out and buy clubs where Ronaldo, Messi and Benzema could have all been playing at next season.
The PIF’s purchase of the four clubs in Saudi Arabia opened the doors to the possibility of one of the craziest team-ups the soccer world has ever seen. But alas, those dreams of an attacking trio boasting Messi, Ronaldo and Benzema will never come to fruition.
Imagine Messi and Ronaldo on the same team with Benzema along for the ride as well. It truly would have been a sight to behold.
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