Cristiano Ronaldo exit unknowingly created new transfer rival for Manchester United

Without knowing, Manchester United have inadvertently kickstarted the next hotbed of world football.

Many leftfield countries have tried - and failed - to gain ground on traditional football nations by flashing the cash. Russia in the early 2010s attracted players like Samuel Eto’o and Roberto Carlos to the region, an experiment that soon nosedived into the abyss.

Another global superpower, China, also gave the sport a crack a decade later. High-profile names like Rafa Benitez flew out to the Far East but, as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic ground the planet to a standstill, the house of cards came crashing down.

However, unlike their predecessors... Saudi Arabia mean business.

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The latest shark in the tank is a Gulf state backed by a sovereign wealth fund worth around £600billion. Cries of sportswashing were plausible when they first entered the sporting arena but, in truth, Western media are scrutinising their regime like never before - hardly the behaviour of a country wanting to sweep alleged atrocities under the carpet.

And that microscope is only going to get bigger as the Middle Eastern nation increases its influence on the world stage. Whether that be through Formula 1, boxing super fights, Newcastle United or, more recently, the complete takeover of golf, Saudi Arabia are going nowhere.

Last December, Man United were global news when Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive Piers Morgan interview signalled the end of his Premier League career. Offloading the superstar, a logical decision at the time, has unknowingly provided the catalyst for football’s latest big spender.

That is a fact that has not gone unnoticed by Ronaldo himself.

“Let’s bug people a bit,” Ronaldo told