Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur during the English Premier League soccer match against Brighton & Hove Albion in London Hugo Lloris (pictured) of Tottenham Hotspur may be one of the high profile footballers following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia. Picture: Neil Hall/EPA
Johannesburg - Saudi Arabian football, for now, is on the rise.
The national team proved that they can be competitive on a global scale by inflicting a 2-1 group stage defeat over eventual champions Argentina during the World Cup last year. By doing so, they became the first nation to defeat the South Americans since Brazil did in 2019.
Since then, the domestic league in the gulf nation has risen, notably due to the addition of one Cristiano Ronaldo. The salary was no doubt a big reason why the Portugal captain decided to join Al Nassr. In addition to Ronaldo, some of the other notable stars in the Sauid Pro League are David Ospina (Al Nassr), Odion Ihalo (Al Hilal) and Felipe Caicedo (Abha).
It must be noted that the conservative kingdom have been accused of sportswashing and investing into sport in order to try and cover-up alleged human rights violations happening within the country.
Time will tell whether the Saudi momentum will carry on. Either it could fizzle out as did the once hyped Chinese Super League or it could go on to develop into something exciting, though that will take many years.
This week, we look at players who could soon be set to follow Ronaldo to Saudi.
Lionel Messi
Messi’s next destination is likely to be either back to boyhood club Barcelona or to Saudi. He recently caused controversy by leaving PSG on an unauthorised visit to Saudi. There is little doubt that the Saudi’s will want him. What better marketing for them than to rekindle the battles between Ronaldo and Messi which dominated football talk pre 2020?
Hugo Lloris
The time is right for Lloris and Tottenham to part ways. Spurs are again in need of renewal and while Lloris has been a reliable presence for them for more than a decade, he has made his fair share of mistakes this season.
The 36-year-old can also now transition to a less demanding environment after ending his international career following the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup. As a 2018 Word Cup winner, Lloris will help to raise the profile of the league while also passing down his knowledge to players within it.
Sergio Busquets
Barcelona recently confirmed that the 34-year-old would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
While he is now past his prime, Busquets, one of the few remaining survivors from Barcelona’s and Spain’s era of domination still has what it takes to compete in any of Europe’s top five leagues if he wishes.
@eshlinv
IOL Sport