This is only the beginning. They'll be in the champions league by 2025 or offer teams ridiculous sums to enter their own version mark my words. All that matters in football is money now and they've more of it than everyone else put together. What they did to golf was only a test run for the worlds biggest sport.
It's over for the game we once loved.
In think Golf, Tennis, Athletics etc are different because they are individual events, golf even moreso because older players still play the game. Buy the best 10 players and you have bought the game (or at least ruined it)
It is not the same with football. Most people who watch the game in this country hardly see Benzema, Mbappe etc, less so the South American players. Football has a history of players leaving this league, John Charles, Jimmy Greaves, Kevin Keegan, Grame Souness, Ian Rush, Gary Linekar, Laurie Cunningham etc near the top of their game with a barely noticable impact on the game.
They really will have to spend a vast fortune to get a decent share of the cake and even then it is only temporary, Salah was viewed as one of the best in the world a couple of years ago, that mantle has shifted even since then. They may buy a name like Salah but someone else will step into the shoes. It's not like buying Tiger Woods or Roger Federer.
As long as they keep buying the past, we will get by (and be richer), only when they buy the present in significant numbers (ie Haaland, Alexander-Arnold, Rice, say, will it make a sizeable dent. I doubt those sorts of players want to give up their ambitions to play in a league that will never really take off without billions a year thrown at it.
Look at
Ettifaq Manager, Steven Gerrard, big name, failed manager in England
When I see their squad list I see 33 players I have never heard of plus a (soon to be) washed up Jordan Henderson
Al-Nassr I see a manager who I don't really know with a washed up Ronaldo and 32 other non-notables
Al-Ahli have no manager as yet, Mahrez, Firmino (who we regarded as retiring if we are honest), Mendy plus another 31 non-notables
Al-Hilal have Jorge Jesus, Koulibaly, Neves and another 27 non-notables.
Anyone of those teams I'd gladly play with our reserves.
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