Saudi Pro League clubs must snap up best Asian talent

Saudi Arabian football has changed, and is changing the face of Asian football with it.

Few could have predicted the pace of change within the country as recently as six months ago, but the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo accelerated plans to reshape football in the country; plans that have been turbocharged in recent weeks.

While missing out on the prized signature of Lionel Messi was a blow, a host of other big names are on the verge of joining Karim Benzema as headline arrivals this off-season.

With Saudi Arabia hosting the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 2027, bidding for the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, and having had Saudi Arabian Football Federation President Yasser Al-Misehal elected to both the AFC and FIFA executive committees, the desire for the Kingdom to play a leading role in Asian football is clear for all to see.

With the stated ambition of making the Saudi Pro League one of the top 10 leagues in the world within the next decade, achieving that would mean it being regarded as the best in Asia.

If that is the ambition, and if it wants to take its role as a leader of the continent seriously and develop Asian football as a collective, then there is one thing it can do to ensure that is the case – become a hothouse of the best regional talent.

As leagues around the continent, including, regrettably, the AFC Champions League itself, are removing the previous “plus one” quota for AFC players, Saudi Arabia could lead by example if it ensured that some of the money it is spending on foreign talent extended to offering opportunities to the best players of Asia.

It need not come at the expense of headline names like N’Golo Kante, Sergio Ramos or Neymar. With eight foreign spots per club, there is plenty of room