
The News
Soccer teams in the Gulf cut transfer spending in 2024, picking up younger talent instead of aging superstars.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE spent $646 million on new players — nearly half the $1.2 billion shelled out a year earlier, according to an Asharq Business study. Saudi remains the biggest spender, led by bets on Bento, Nacho Fernandez, and Moussa Diaby: Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2022 move to Al-Nassr — on a $200-million-a-year contract — helped drive viewership and sponsorships.
Clubs remain heavily reliant on government backing, though. Al-Hilal, Saudi’s most decorated team which counts stars such as João Cancelo and Sergej Milinković-Savić among its players, earned $267 million in revenue last year, resulting in $9 million in profit, not nearly enough to sustain blockbuster salaries.