Willian makes more sense. His last big payday. 
Kessie 100% lacking ambition etc. not the sort of player you want around the dressing room. 

Would like to see Locatelli or Gabri Veiga as the next target for AP in the 6 if Hojberg leaves. 

lol

yer agreed but chalk n cheese comparo talking from the western side aspect as you'd agree......
Messi has always been the modern day GOAT IMO and topping it off current WC holder so wherever he went would have got the headlines (way more than going Saudi) and being in the USof A commercially was always going to be up front and centre. (shame he didn't stick euro but next best thing I suppose)
More so he has hit the ground running compared to his slow adjustment in France that is not surprising might I add.
Between him Busquest's and now Alba they are showing up MLS standards.

Will be interesting what kind of press the Saudi league will get once started with all the LFC retirees haha amongst the other name signings.
Will the goats fill the stadiums ?
Will they get a new broadcast partner so its more accessable ?
I have to say I'll be checking up on it results and stats for interests sake.

to add to this, I think one thing that the success of the women's world cup has shown, that passion will always have a place in football. If you don't have that then you are behind the eight ball. You can buy the the best players and thats good for them but if nobody cares then...well nobody cares. We are watching players currently in Aus at this WC who are not at quite at the same standards (but still great footballers) of male world Cup but they have one major thing - emotional engagement and passion. The Saudis cannot buy that. That is passed on and built over a lifetime. 

oh too true but this is coming from our perspective yet some differ.
Just look at MLS, I still can't grasp it due to you know why much like here but others see it differently, you just said build up over a lifetime, what of MLS and APL in this case for eg.
Saudis are doing no diff to MLS originally and to date (they need the sugar hits) but one is western the other ME and hence even more resistance obviously.
I hear you therefore hello ol NSL soon to new NSD - you cannot buy supporters you build it up over decades thats NSL/NSD and currently NPL.
Man its a double edged sword talking about this don't you think lol........

I grew up with NSL and 1st Div English game now EPL throw in SerieA, yep its passion.
I'll never let go of these 3 but I can't see myself being mad over MLS/AL < I tried for some years but couldn't carry on with it, let alone follow Saudi.

Will decrease. They are sinking 20 billion into a solar powered hydrogen plant while keeping the process of oil skull high. Its all strategic. 

IS Messi still playing football mate? Does he get a run or do they trot him around from stadium to stadium just to do "marketing" stuff? What a sad end to a wonderful career.... 

As for the Liverpool lads in SA, eh well, they were good players while it lasted, time to prostitute themselves out to the oil barons so they can keep up the finance payments on their Range Rovers... good luck to them. Wont even be watching highlights personally.

I am not sticking up at all for what messi is doing at all, just making a comparison as to how much more hype that has generated rather than all the players in SA - coverage of messi is everywhere, people want to watch that, just look at all the celebrities there. We are not going to see hot celebrities in the Saudi Arabian stands lol

Florida haas one advantage - its a nice place to be and they already have masses of latino football fans. 

Nut yeah my point is only for comparison on two leagues that might have similar objectives (except for the sportswashing)

the messi hype will die out though relatively quickly. 

The whole saudi league has lifted to a mid euro level... would not be surprised to see Beinsports throw a truck full of money to them for the rights.

The big benefit will be the Asian Champions League revenues.

I fear for the Serie A. 

Not because Ibanez & Zielinski are the latest to be leaving Roma/Napoli respectively for the desert league but Serie A is so cash-strapped that it's going to be hard to attract talent unless they want to play Champions League/Europa League. 

This is a sad sad shame. Serie A was one of my favourite leagues to watch when I was growing up. 

Now it's a shell of its former self and is getting eaten alive by Saudi.

It's underway and pops up on socials but I just have zero attraction to it. Absolute disneyland.

Yep you and me both - I loved seeing Inter make the CL finale and actually stood up very very well in that game.
And Europa at least had Roma get there but every Italian lost :( 
Juve is a shell it once was and banished below.
They are in the poop again but I have hope SerieA gets back on its feet.
Mancini quit NT duties it’s one domino after another.

Still one of the most entertaining leagues in Europe for me..... FORZA NAPOLI.

yes I still like it - many good players and the atmosphere is epic when your there, I would expect you should be a Leece supporter being closest to Atlantis :) OR Calabrian Club Reggina hahaha

hahahahh Yeah Calabria is basically Greece.....   Nah Napoli fan mate, Diego was my idol growing up and being from Southern Greece, Naples is pretty much the same as Kalamata, we just speak a different language :)

Small potatoes

The crazy kid next door who's just about to build some Nukes is the real driver

isn't it so fitting and not surprising Neymar rolled himself into the sand dunes......
Something around A$169M a year.
Its one brazillian I've never got to liking no matter his good ability of rolling rolling rolling on.

Neymar is off to SA 


Looks like Salah might also head too SA 


these guys aren't dead players...

As long as they dont get caught with someone else's wife or stealing a camel or making fun of dudes wearing robes they should be fine :)

apparently they all take private jet every day from Dubai to training/games as the lifestyle is more western there... jesus what a life.

So Saudi Arabia is going to play 2 friendly's against Costa Rica & Sth Korea at......St Jame's Park.

What a surprise..... 

Better then 'rock stars' tbh 

hahahahah lucky they wont have to pay for the jet fuel......   

Almost feels like something that would happen in a cartoon. 

Sort of like a whole new audience of football fans who try to fit a square peg (A league franchises) into a round hole (playing Football Manager and using Transfermarket and Xg "stats" to get CCM to "win" the UCL in fantasy world)???? 

Its a load of commercialised bullshit designed to sell merch, create gambling revenue and part gullible simpletons from their hard earned while washing away the sins of abhorrent despots...... like someone said in another thread, bread and fuckin circuses.... 

A toxic mix of oil money and geo politics. But look at the Newcastle fans.. They love it. 

Laporte going from Man City to AL-Nassr. He's only 29.

Not ALL of them... there are some pretty worried folks in England lately.....  I wonder what point it will reach before government intervention on ownership of English clubs comes about?...  They take football pretty seriously over there. 

90percent of Manchester UTD fans want Qataris to take over the club..... money talks man 

football is changing - the fact CFC have spent 1bn pounds in 18mos and no one seems to give a is proof....

Saudi Arabia JOINING the Champions League in 2025?