What Is ACTUALLY Going On In Saudi Arabia?

[@melvyn_ivy]

Kroos trolling with ‘that was fun today, amazing crowd’ after the booing in the game was simply an outstanding move, I must say.

[@kyj1147]

@factsorbleach7 From the fans, yes

[@fatimasalem5325]

@@kyj1147 no it’s more embarrassing from Toni Kroos 💀💀. He got butt hurt from the crowd

[@betalianzofhillsidienz3714]

​@@fatimasalem5325toni Kroos? Butthurt? He's got a world cup and multitude of other titles to his name, a bunch of clowns booing ain't gonna do shit

[@thebighoney9034]

do you even know the definition of butthurt? @@fatimasalem5325

[@thebighoney9034]

making multiple accounts like yours is weakness and insecurity @factsorbleach7

[@CycloneRecords113]

You’ve hit the nail on the head with Henderson. The fact he lies about going over there for money is extremely frustrating

[@mkf628]

Be careful trusting an englishman.

[@the-skn]

He doesn't have another option though, most likely. Do you think that the Saudis will give you a few bags of money and not make you say nice stuff about the move. They would never let them speak like that about the league. The whole league is a PR move after all.

[@CycloneRecords113]

@@mkf628 trust me there are a lot of Englishman calling him out myself included

[@bazingacurta2567]

​@@mkf628 The English really are a stupid kind.

[@furiousscotsman2916]

Why is it frustrating lol?? why you letting someone elses finances dictate how you feel?? If he wants shit tons of money who gives a singular fuck ? If hes a hypocrit who gives a fuck we all are, we all pretend to care about child slave labour and awful conditions for workers, yet we still by phones with minerals mined in horrible conditions we all still wear clothes made by a kid in china and yet we all sit here and pretend to be outraged at players like henderson.

[@lesliecas2695]

If the next Lionel Messi goes to Saudi Arabia instead of Barcelona, he is unlikely to become the next Lionel Messi. Facilities, experiences, and people (supportive fans) matter.

[@matthewstein5854]

Also the level of competition and experience/talent of coaching. He doesn't play under a Rijkaard or Guardiola in Saudi Arabia. You dont become the best without playing against the best. Why is Salah in England and not Egypt? Most of Moroccos SF players play/ed in Europe.

[@Mcbride.kp2]

Not to mention he’d twist his ankle once and they would stop paying his salary

[@WritingGeekNL]

@@matthewstein5854 Most of Moroccos national team is born Dutch, Spanish or French. Some never touched African soil until they were called up. Played in the youth academies of Dutch, French and Spanish clubs. And some African countries are like a mix of B-teams between those or other nationalities. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion, since most players would never get the chance to play in the national team of a country, especially France or Spain. Ziyech would have been an asset in the Netherlands, but Amrabat probably wouldn’t have been by the time Morocco called him up.

[@moxictasculinity]

@@WritingGeekNLdamn I wonder how hard communicating is if the national team doesn’t even speak a unified language

[@joaquinduarte5260]

Theres no football culture in saudi arabia they will never succeed

[@GIBBO4182]

It’s the Chinese league all over again…the culture shock just seems too much for a lot of players! The bubble has burst

[@BSG1892]

I don’t think so. The money is just so obscene that you’ll always have someone going to Saudi Arabia. The Chinese Super League failed because they didn’t have the appetite for it anymore & put huge restrictions on teams buying foreign players whereas Saudi Arabia has done the opposite. If they can indeed get into the Champions League & other UEFA competitions they will be a serious threat. Especially to La Liga where most of the big teams are struggling financially.

[@GIBBO4182]

@@BSG1892they’ll be millionaires wherever they play. Like I said, it’s the culture shock that’s the problem. It’s just so different for Europeans and South American’s that I can’t see it ever working. Especially if they have families

[@userCeifadorGamer]

@@BSG1892 if you recive that money.

[@LjuboCupic1912]

@@BSG1892they’re not getting into the UCL lmao

[@t.c.4321]

​@@BSG1892they will do a Hendo. Play for a year then come back to Europe. Wont work out long term.

[@kylec10]

If Saudi Arabia truly wants to increase the stature of their league they need to also heavily invest in developing their own talent domestically. Right now you have star players surrounded by much lower quality players. They need to raise their talent floor to truly succeed. I’m from the US and follow MLS so I’ve seen firsthand how that talent gap within teams can reduce the overall standard

[@e.zackerinho5704]

True, and youngsters should interact with the first team. Imagine being a young winger in Al Nassr and CR7 himself comes! A dream come true

[@seige8621]

When Last did you watch their games? Don't you know bringing those stars there has raised the bar of competitiveness? I've been watching their games and it's improved a lot compared to before

[@davidjr4903]

You're from 🇺🇸 so you know what a retirement league is better than anyone

[@taiwoomowunmi8165]

Saudi literally better than mls leage right now and it’s not until recently when mls stops getting stars the way Saudi does

[@hellodigitalworld8224]

They literally have the best academies, I know the first thing any smart ass would say is this ( I don’t mean it personally against you) but they really have good academies that’s why the national team has 3 Asian cups and the U-13 U-15 U-23 NT teams has won a lot of cups and medals and you know it’s all Saudi born kids they don’t do what European nations do , giving Africans nationality to play for them

[@CarlMarxPunk]

Bro China lasted longer before it started to show cracks LMAO

[@juanramirez5898]

For once

[@yemi3266]

China was never relevant 🤦‍♂️

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Bible In Arabic USD SGD

[@CarlMarxPunk]

What

[@x7mdi07]

what cracks u guys r talking abt LMAO Ben is back, Henderson is out cuz of LGSHIT stuff. so far that is it, nothing more nothing less u guys just looking for an excuse to hate and we in fact love it and enjoy it >< keep it up guys, entertain us haha

[@domonicdecoco2410]

That Sadio headline is wild

[@t8kabr8km85]

Im getting the word.... nonce

[@nurdersvw3710]

you're right but also his hairline is wild

[@abstraqtphilosophy7357]

​@@nurdersvw3710his comment is a double entendre. You didn't have to state the obvious

[@kylephaneufmusic]

It’s disgusting and part of that culture.

[@duyanhng8430]

they don't gaf about human rights over there so who are we to say anything

[@capital2885]

you should make a video about El Mágico González, the greatest ever Salvadoran soccer player who dragged the country to their only world cup

[@Shitposting_IHMN]

Who asked, never heard of him

[@nodefense]

Nah 🥱

[@christiancoxdiaz6522]

Nope no thank you

[@mrsteelurswag]

@@Shitposting_IHMNDon’t be lame, it could be a fun niche video. Maradona considered him one of the best players to ever touch a ball.

[@UpsetTronGuy]

All these people saying "Nope" or "Never heard of him" are just closed minded. Probably American or Saudi then. 😂 That's the point of making a video on players, so you then know about them and have "heard of him" I swear casuals just wanna only have videos about Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane like players. Some of us (like myself) actually appreciate videos teaching about other players from the past, especially when there's so much Football to learn.

[@btdaniels9028]

A lot of players like Benzema, Neymar, Hendo…are going there for the money but also with the expectation that they won’t have to work as hard anymore. It’s the same case with Beckham when he went to MLS

[@kevintanza6968]

To be fair, Beckham did perform with Galaxy. But your point is still very valid. You're getting stars, yes, but at the end of their prime when they don't fancy it anymore.

[@SdoubleA]

​@@kevintanza6968I'm seeing this in Turkey more and more and it's extremely frustrating. Stars come in, use their talents to make headlines and close airports and take over every highlight reel for 1 year - but JUST 1 year. The next year they fall off and millions are wasted.

[@WritingGeekNL]

@@SdoubleA That is because Turkish Super Liga isn’t even taken serious by its fans, viewers, owners, etc. If you lose two matches, you’re out... that’s a joke, especially for the salaries that are being paid. However, there isn’t a lack of passion in Turkey... I would say it is a bit too much and that is what causes some of these problems. That is just me as an outsider from the Netherlands by the way.

[@SdoubleA]

@@WritingGeekNL Na you're completely right. The title race is all that matters. The league itself lacks quality so instead of developing youth, Turkish teams buy foreign washed up players (and managers) and the fans treat them as superstars, which boosts their ego and eventually they stop performing. It's a loop the league has been in for nearly a decade now.

[@liamday453]

Except the big difference with Beckham is he got to live in LA instead of Saudi Arabia lmao

[@DrQualleFiggmann]

Not a big surprise. You play football in a desert for fans who have no respect for legends like Beckenbauer who died. Money can't buy class.

[@minsurchoi8808]

Agreed, these Saudi fans clearly lack any understanding for the concept of respect

[@poptraxx418]

When did we disrespect him

[@minsurchoi8808]

@@poptraxx418 you’re telling me you think it’s respectful to boo during someone’s minute of silence?

[@BadselS]

​@@poptraxx418you are the most disrespectful and ignorant people. You also support terroristic state russia

[@i_am_silkbeard]

Do u know how many Saudi’s stars hv died? And did u hear any minute of silence for them on the international stage? Cut the bull crap! Who gives a fuck

[@jammyjamjars6995]

Good on the Turkish teams for refusing to play the Final in Saudi Arabia. SA showed no respect for their culture and history, especially for it being a big milestone for Turkey, and they did the right thing pulling out.

[@mlooky1221]

Imagine pushing your political agenda in a football match.

[@dondamon4669]

What has politics have to do with football?? Turkey look like a right bunch of Turkey's now!

[@renaud_bt]

@@mlooky1221 football is and has always been political

[@renaud_bt]

​@@dondamon4669 football is and has always been political

[@modpog8066]

Imagine being a guest and acting like you’re in your own house?!

[@EmilePesky-n1v]

I've in-laws working in Saudi Arabia. If their parents visit it's pretty much just sitting around the compound the adult kids live in. They're there to save enough money so they can afford to build a home in Ireland. (These are educated people who need to live in a compound in Saudi so they can afford to buy a home in Europe btw).

[@crazyheffe]

I tried watching ONE game. I loved the atmosphere before kickoff, the respective captains Ronaldo included were smiling and seemingly joking just prior to the coin toss. Then the ball was kicked and the game immediately devolved into the worst diving affair one could imagine. I was done

[@manikandankumaran1012]

And how would you expect ronaldo to score goals. Hater

[@tpmedia3784]

penaldinho

[@jerkov420]

Sheesh bro. Your videos have always been on point. Really love the meditative, reflective (not to mention, thorough) assessment of any scenario, sprinkled in with your trademark British humor. Love it bro. But this video, in particular that last point about the European leagues essentially doing what the arab league has done, really hit it home for me this time. This is a point that is easily missed by most people, myself included. Keep doing what you do bro, you're one of the KZbin greats out there right now

[@mikeltsmith]

I agree..... But this KZbinr is from South Africa! Just a minor correction

[@Gos1234567]

Its a bad comparison,Euro leagues are already well established with successful leagues that have millions of fans and huge crowds in modern civilised countries

[@Jim-so3zm]

​@@mikeltsmith He's South African but judging by the accent I'd guess he either lives in Britain or has done at some point in his life.

[@dcfootball1]

​@@Jim-so3zmI think accents are bad and overrated imo

[@tetokesenye397]

​@@mikeltsmithZimbabwe

[@christianurena66]

Yo your videos are always so good! Thanks for all the great content!

[@shatterfall_hunted8236]

Look am Greek but i will tell you one thing about Turkish people since we both have this in spades , we are very patriotic and both the idea of celebrating a national and ethnical day for the fucking republic of our country in a another country would get me engraged beyond belief , massive respects to Galatasaray and Fenerbahce for straight up refusing to play and double that since the Saudi people even refused to let them show honor badges to the founder of Turkey. Now when it comes to the RSL/SPL becoming a top league yeah no chance , as of now based on Opta rankings the Saudi League is below small tier 1 european leagues , below tier 2 spanish , german , english leagues , below the MLS , brazilian and argentinian league , below the Korean and japanese leagues. (its 28th in the world which spoiler aint all that good, for comparison the Championship aka English second tier is 6th in the world) .

[@iirovaltonen4258]

Henderson apparently did not get any salary from his time in Saudi Arabia. Imagine going to a tyrannical country to promote football (earn millions upon millions) and get nothing in return. He literally just wasted 6 months of his life.

[@kingu687]

Eh not really the truth he asked to delay his payments cause of tax reasons

[@arkhamknight5891]

@@kingu687exactly

[@ayoubbelouadah7195]

So not following the woke agenda and the lgbtq shit makes you tyrannical ?

[@akunwanneprosper7016]

He delayed the payments to avoid paying tax to UK government 😊

[@minnumseerrund]

none of these players are going anywhere to promote shit unless they get paid for it. Next thing you're gonna tell me Hendo went to SA to lobby for gay rights get real

[@wayneverhoff2790]

Jordan Henderson isn’t a major player… he’s just British

[@jab-gn3sw]

100%🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@EightFrancs]

Hendo was an inspirational captain for Liverpool FC (one of the biggest clubs in the sports world) during a great trophy winning period of their history. So he deserves respect.

[@wayneverhoff2790]

@@EightFrancs 😂😂😂 respect for what? Being the 11th best player on his club team and apart of a failing underachieving England squad?

[@terrymuandza2237]

Big credit for explaining Turkish Cup events in detail, love your content.

[@radiabdallah2870]

This wasn't in detail ,he didn't say what ataturk actually did to muslims and why they hate him

[@q7ozi]

​@@radiabdallah2870he made turkey a modern, free, secular state 🥳🇹🇷

[@vigneshjayakumar6252]

European football has a brand value. Which had been build for over a century. Its very hard to displace that by just throwing out money.

[@kevinsmarx]

I mean thats exactly how European football did it. By throwing money. Stop being so silly

[@rohanimagansang3324]

With quality​@@kevinsmarx

[@SI-cd7xs]

@@kevinsmarx no. European football is the product of 150 years of culture. You cannot buy culture. How can you compare europe to Saudi, europe literally built football 😂

[@kevinsmarx]

@@SI-cd7xs Sorry, i wasnt giving an opinion. South american football was always better until Europe started stealing all their players. Im talking about level, not culture 🗿

[@SI-cd7xs]

@@kevinsmarx South american football wouldn’t exist without European football. There are multiple clubs in south aMerica named after European clubs. 100+ year old Brand value can’t be purchased and your clearly just some butt hurt third worlder who can’t accept that what europe has it built from the ground up. South Americans came to europe to play at the highest level, something Saudi can’t offer. Also European teams have a better head to head record with South American teams and have won more world cups. Your talking about nothing.

[@JoeriBlomberg]

Your nuanced storytelling is a breath of fresh air here on KZbin. I subbed!

[@edge1112]

Tbh I hope they're all stuck with the Saudi League, they deserve it.

[@fe-jo]

Caught in a golden cage.

[@trashAndNoStar]

Same train of thought lol. _You made your (gold-plated?) bed, now lie in it._

[@xwarped83]

It’s not customary to have a moment of silence? I guess they also don’t know how to shut up for a moment.

[@Gos1234567]

Anytime ive seen a muslim funeral on TV they are ripping the coffin and body to shreds.

[@xwarped83]

@@Gos1234567 no you haven’t, quit the BS

[@yemi3266]

​@@Gos1234567 bs. You lying

[@onouphrios]

@@Gos1234567i’ll touch you boy shut up

[@KilluaYT420]

@@Gos1234567 mate atleast do some research before lying

[@ProfessionalNonce]

“What are you doing step-mané?”

[@tristanallnutt1365]

From what I hear from people working in Saudi the contracts are broken by employers from day 1. No day off all week for carers and homestuff even though it's in the contract and work till late night and start again in the morning.

[@brekmoment]

as a turk, thank you for mentioning turkish super cup situation

[@christopherarancibia3333]

The Saudi will Never be a top football league.

[@yemi3266]

You're talking nonsense 🤦‍♂️

[@AllNigerianBoy]

NEVER.

[@chai1513]

@danh555 same thing is happening to clubs who sold themselves like Man City, no fans in the stadiums

[@power279]

​@@yemi3266salty pendu fans

[@power279]

​@@chai1513Source: Chinese who cant kick balls😂

[@TomRiddler-m3j]

If only if they were all as honest as Igalo

[@att6484]

honestly, true. Rather someone was honest about just wanting money than giving us all this other bullshit.

[@jonblazeinc]

Why does it matter? I don't care who lies ...stop worshipping these sport stars as if they are religious shrines

[@att6484]

@@jonblazeinc i care when a player has the gall to big himself up as an lgbt hero and then completely abandon those principles when confronted by money. If he didn't want anyone to care he shouldn't have bothered with the rainbow laces campaign tbh. Plus his interview before that england game was the most self aggrandising pathetic thing i've ever seen.

[@tpmedia3784]

@@att6484 butt sex isn't a principle though

[@Pr3stag3]

Brother I gotta say the quality of your content is exceptional and I am glad I came across your channel good job

[@NKJonSnow]

Bro please do a vid on Barca I honestly don’t know what to feel with my club rn. We get humiliated in El Classico we play poorly but win against a 3rd division side all areas of our game has regressed. Xavi’s lineup and tactics don’t make sense and I haven’t even mentioned the rest of how our season has been going I honestly need someone to help explain it to me. You’re already insane as u support United pls help me check into the right mental asylum as that is what I feel I will be in by the end of this season.😢😢😢

[@Shitposting_IHMN]

Xavienta, that's what

[@ellemarr7234]

🥂😂❤

[@brandonerazo548]

Please we need this video! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 I’m a Barca fan too and I need help atm describing the downfall of my beloved club.

[@BarrenBones-t2h]

Why you violate us on the way down!?!?😅😅😅

[@Jim-so3zm]

​@@brandonerazo548You're just on the wane. It happens to most big clubs - can't expect to be on top forever. You'll be back at some point in the near future I'm sure.

[@kylephaneufmusic]

No amount of money would make living in hell worth it. Unless you’re CR7 and don’t care about your legacy or quality of life for your family.

[@MuhammedAli-hs9dj]

What qualifies Saudi Arabia as hell? Your own version of it differs quite a bit from everyone else. Respect different cultures please.

[@att6484]

@@MuhammedAli-hs9dj would be hell for me. boiling hot, no alcohol, and they'd execute me. apart from that, sounds great lol

[@moose3645]

Bro he doesn't even know you😂

[@majormononoke8958]

Not, really everyone that has lived in different countries knows this. There are different cultures and than there is quality of life.@@MuhammedAli-hs9dj

[@poptraxx418]

His family life will always be high And Ronaldo legacy will always be great

[@Suspended.Solitude]

It's not very odd that people who are used to freedom of speech, human rights and equality doesn't want to be there anymore. All the money in the world is not good enough to restrict your self worth and happiness.

[@RobotechLegos]

If history has taught us anything is that Arabs sure know how to keep it classy. Booing beckenbauer tells me all I need to know about these “people”

[@abdulazizalabbad4755]

It was not against beckenbauer .. With quieck search you will know

[@kevinsmarx]

This happens in europe stop being an hypocrite

[@bloodsin]

Beckenbauer was a literal neo nazi

[@StreetComp]

Excellent video. I work in international TV sports and we recently started doing highlights from some Saudi league matches as there are just too many big names there, even if they’re older. Plus they aren’t very restrictive on use and obviously they don’t ask for money (yes sports leagues worldwide ask for large amounts of money from news outlets if want to show timely highlights from their matches) so it’s kind of why not do the highlights. Point is that, like you said, this is only going to grow as Saudi PIFund has around $750 billion US dollars to spend, so giving a player a $30m contract is literally pocket change

[@dakineprotoss]

does your international TV audience care about the saudi league? ESPN has tried to put the Saudi League into the football news/front page sometimes, but I feel like no one ever cares, its never a trending story. from my outsider perspective, it seems like even with people like neymar, benzema, ronaldo, these players just fade into obscurity in SA, no one is watching those games or following the teams. these big names have not made Saudi football more popular, they have just made their own brands less popular

[@StreetComp]

@@dakineprotoss they don’t get much use is the short answer. I can’t get too specific but the highlights from matches between top Saudi league teams do get used by some clients - but even those are in the bottom quarter of our rankings. Soccer is our most popular sport and Premier and Champions leagues edits are most popular and I can’t see that changing. As you probably know people are loyal to the franchise not the players, so fans outside Saudi Arabia just arent going to start really caring about a Saudi league no matter how many top names they add.

[@ChesterRGC]

all the amazing signings they make won't matter as long as there is famous people like Kroos who are brave enough to say out loud what is happening

[@lnr243]

What amazing signings they exactly made? 39 are old can't hack it in Europe anymore Ronaldo to keep his Kingdom going in his mind and serving his own Ego? Or all of those World Class names such as Jota,Neves,Henderson,Cante,Koulibaly,Vincent Aboubakar etc. SON should be the best example for All by Turning them away. Saudi league will never work , in 80s Those Massive Japanese companies invested millions in European and Latin American names,Managers like Arsene Wenger after Winning French Title with Monaco went there too..Outcome? Chinese league was the best thing since sliced bread 10 years ago paying players incredible amounts of money..What happened? The world of football is bigger and more glorious than a Prince who is trying to put Saudi Arabia into the world map after 92 years of stoning people to death ,chopping hands..it will not work

[@Y--or8vx]

Brave enough for what? For bombing babies in Gaza? For what? For the racist political party in Germany that just had a big meeting discussing deporting non-white Germans???

[@elhamm]

Ironic how the captions call FIFPRO "Thief pro" at 3:23 😂

[@zingyoak3917]

nothing wrong there.

[@absolutelynothin]

Shout out to you for being in this space Tinashe. Yours truly, Tichatonga Nyengera

[@joachimlucious]

Today is 22/01/2024. Let me drop this here. The day Ronaldo retires or leaves Saudi, that is the end of the Saudi Pro League. He is the only reason this league is still talked about.

[@beatenbytheclown]

I said this back when all these players started signing with the Saudi Pro League: if I was a player going there I’d make sure my wages were paid in USD or EUR to an offshore account and have a car with a valid passport in the glove box ready to take me to the airport at a moment’s notice.

[@majormononoke8958]

lmao, one call and they dont let you board the plane...

[@ejaecul8]

Good thing you are not a professional player

[@mrevilducky]

Absolutely idiotic. Your wages into offshore accounts will instantly be taxes by the receiving jurisdiction. Even getting the plane in the air isn't enough; they will force you to land. They will shoot you down if you don't.

[@corvus2512]

While that makes total sense, you are also thinking like a regular person whose life would be unimaginably changed by even a few months of those wages. These footballers that are going over there, however, are already millionaires whos, while getting a pay rise, lives are not really changed by the money. Don’t listen to the nonsense line of “But it’s life changing money!” Bullshit! They ALREADY have life changing money, they have gone over there for nothing but pure greed!

[@blueodum]

@@corvus2512 That's part of it, but rich people compare themselves to other rich people. For most of them it would be like: "that guy now makes 100 million a season? I'm better than him so I should make 120 million."

[@Lee-fc3yf]

It's one of the worst Leagues ever. The State owns 4 teams and funds them with State money with other clubs getting scraps. This alone makes it an anomaly and should not be considered a league and more of exhibition or scam if you like.

[@arcticfoxes8034]

People keep saying that saudi arabia and its people loves sports/sporting events, but it just doesnt seem like thats the case. Across the entirety of the Saudi Pro League, the average attendance is just 8,776 per game. Even the big teams like Al Hilal only have stadiums at 40% capacity. I live in a country with a smaller population than saudi arabia by a lot, but our domestic league, which is similar in rank gets over double their average attendance. Also, Whenever any of the other major events get brought to saudi arabia, the people that turn up tend to just be the mega-rich and the media, rather than the general populace. Even the Qatar world cup had to essentially buy fans to fill out the stadiums, and that was for the literal biggest sporting event outside the olympics. I just don't see how its possible to bring major sports to saudi arabia and keep them there when you don't seem to have a population that cares about sports.

[@BadselS]

Where do you live?

[@hazim2730]

your country's popultaion is smaller, but i'd be willing to bet that it's also much smaller sizewise, which makes it easier for your country's fans to travel. you don't realise how low the population density in saudi arabia is. saying the saudi population doesn't care about sports is also a very shallow thing to say. reassess.

[@sammybosak10]

But but according to pendu saudi sunday league is better than mls, ligue 1,la liga and epl 💀

[@thelarryfaat8535]

@@sammybosak10 firminos team played a low level bundesliga team in pre season and they lost 6:1 Imagine a Saudi Team in the CL 🙈 They have to abondon the current rules and Play 11 foreign plsyers cause their homegrown talent is garbage (at the moment) They need to heavily invest in youth academies or this will probably not change

[@kaelomodikwa2554]

You think fifa loves football? 🤣🤣🤣

[@gl0bal7474]

Im glad I found your channel. great analysis

[@Adrian-op5ni]

The difference between Europe and Saudi Arabia is not the money, they both have money. The difference is talent and skill. Saudi Arabia has zero, Europe has domestic talent overflowing from each European nation.

[@tgamagedon]

I mean, obviously Salman wouldn't see sportswashing as a problem. He doesn't think any of the things Saudi Arabia do is unethical, so changing people's perception, is just a net good for him.

[@Drwhitemeat]

Henderson was like “today I feel gay” Saudi said “want money?”

[@nurdersvw3710]

😂

[@mason.berlin]

great video. I really appreciate the thoughtful analysis. This is a hard topic to be objective about, but you definitely managed, congrats!!!!

[@HOobecHoObe877]

Just discovered your videos. Love your work. I can see a lot of hard work and you seem neutral and nuanced. I have played and coached football for almost 35 years and this is the first football (podcast or anything) I have subscribed to. Love your work.

[@kluge1245]

I think it is a little too early to tell. But my own feeling is the Saudis went too big and too fast with their spending on their high profile signings. Maybe they should have looked at improving their stadia infrastructure and letting their players play in foreign leagues to get exposure. And also develop academies with some big name coaches attached to it.

[@generalpotato6124]

they have improved their academies, and also the saudi players usually dont play overseas because of the cultural shock if you look at them, rarely they go overseas, the national team is full of players playing in saudi arabia for example.

[@BardiXOfficial]

Oil is starting to dry up, hence why many FCC countries, namely Saudi and the UAE are overspending on sporting events, and ridiculously stupid structures like that Moon hotel and the line, they desperately want to be the next big thing because they know if they don't, and oil disappears, they'll get the biggest slice of humble pie in the form of sanctions

[@Ike-un6mc]

Second time I have watched your analytic videos. Your commitment to videos that are as informative, unbiased and as balanced as possible is exemplary, as well as a telling lesson to more heralded and known pundits/analysts, many much older in years, but not as mature in output. Kudos!

[@colincolin5696]

Also I hate all this talk on “how could you turn that money down” it’s different to us we have nothing compared to these footballers but why would Ronaldo need more money when he was already a billionaire through football… it’s just greed. Nothing else. I’d happily take a higher pay but I wouldn’t leave high level football for a 3rd world country who still think it’s okay to have 6 wives and beat gays 😅

[@KingBeatsOPS]

I'm Saudi and went in this video with bad impressions like "let's see what this guy has to say!". But, a lot of your points were spot on, especially this one 9:44 . I do not condone what ever they call as "restrictive" but I back your point on the mega rich.

[@joelmonteiro1419]

Here's another question for you: What is ACTUALLY going on with the Durban Sharks?

[@Emasgem]

The Italian super cup final took place there last Monday. Right Before the match started, the Italian football legend Gigi Riva passed. So they held a minute of silence prior to starting the second half. Guess what? The public booed. I really don’t know why.

[@SoulSonder26]

Dude, I LOVE your content and your voice! Only just noticed i hadn't subscribed yet when you brought it up in the video! So.. subscribed!! Keep up the great work!! 👍 E: I also just want to say, that sweater looks soo warm! As someone who appreciates a nice sweater [you know, like pretty much everyone else lol], nice!!

[@denizakogul]

Thanks for the Turkish Super Cup mentioning, it was well on-point

[@x-morones2330]

They should rename the Saudi League to the "Bonesaw League".

[@Drwhitemeat]

Damn Mane took the phrase “when In Rome do as the Roman’s” literally. For him it’s more like when in Arabia do as the Arabians. And she’s called Aisha which makes it so much more crazy.

[@jahedur123456]

Apparently she's actually in her 20s and the headlines are false

[@Gos1234567]

Mane probably taking bomb making classes as we speak

[@livwake]

@@jahedur123456if she was he’d have 100% denied the rumours by now

[@epicmarschmallow5049]

@@jahedur123456 Every reputable news source I've seen has said 18. The only times I've heard 20s (26 specifically) it's been random people on twitter

[@AhmedMohamed-kj6ei]

He married someone who is 18, that's an adult people just love looking for controversies

[@douglang2327]

Saudi might have the money but they lack everything else...Guess football is better played in europe...premier league,A bit of lal liga,bit of bundesliga and lots of champions league

[@killbot86]

lol, the Saudi’s hyping up their one and only win against Argentina….They got knocked out of the group stage after losing the other two games….Clearly it was fluke and nothing more……

[@JohnCarter-gb8ev]

It's easy to get knocked out of the world cup in the group they just bottled it against poland

[@killbot86]

@@JohnCarter-gb8ev Poland deserved to win that game, not because the Saudi's bottled it.....Saudi Arabia was never good enough to get out of that group as they were clearly the weakest side

[@hazim2730]

​@@killbot86 you clearly didnt watch the game because nothing in that game indicated that Poland DESERVED to win it.

[@khurmiful]

Saudi sporting success is like borrowing money from others. As long as they don’t have a home grown sports industry they will be vulnerable. There is a reason that no other country over a city state consider this to be a feasible model of growth.

[@EhteshamWarraich]

There's a loophole for Saudi teams joining the UEFA competitions since several non-European countries have teams playing already (Israel and Kazakhstan are examples).

[@Greimor967]

I think that's less a loophole and more so them being granted an exemption to the rule

[@segundolizardo6667]

Oh hey! I just wanted to mention that Gavi Vega, this really talented young player from Celta de Vigo, actually went to Saudi Arabia for the money.

[@victorz84]

Coming across this YT channel for the 1st time, very good work bro 👏🏽👏🏽 subscribing now

[@omgkid]

I'm not that much into football but I really love your videos and it's the only football channel I'm subsrived to. Was glad to hear that you're also from South Africa too. Sending my best wishes from Mzansi and can't wait till you reach 1 million subscribers which is inevitable ✌✌👌👌

[@saifabidalbloushi]

Brother, all my life as a football fan, ive never heard of someone whos "not really into football". you either like it or you dont. Youre the first of your kind 😂😂

[@leespn4396]

@@saifabidalbloushi wait until you realize some people actually take time to like a sport

[@YourComradeChris]

I've long suspected he's South African (like me), and it's good to have this confirmed. I really liked that he ended this by pointing out that uts nothing new for leagues/ teams to see their best and most promising players leaving, due to the irresistible pull of the financial incentives being offered on foreign shores. South Africa is the example I'm most familiar with, but it's certainly not the only place where we constantly seeing our best and most talented/experienced players moving away, this robbing our talented youngsters the opportunity to play and learn alongside them. 😢

[@ilsfy_]

as a saudi fan of your channel, i respect the way you approached this topic instead of just going with the crowd and hating on anything our country does, appreciated!

[@AANGoa]

منشاااار

[@Skinny_Popeye]

Why do you compare professional footballers to regular ppl? Of course anyone with a 9 to 5 would take 20 million, for them it'd be life-changing money but if you already have 30 million in the bank you can afford it to have principles, just a thought...

[@64kingarthur]

Principles don't matter if you grow up extremely poor. Not to mention if you're from a South American country who literally grew up not just in poverty but also violence. Principles are for the privileged who grew with that wealth knowing they have more than that.

[@koushikdas1992]

​@@64kingarthurWhat about European ones!? They aren't poor!

[@chrisfrank2664]

I don’t like the idea of them being included in European Champions League. Maybe try Conference league first & see how they fair against teams that are still highly competitive & talented from leagues across Europe?

[@navaleed1622]

That's why Messi will ALWAYS be above these golddiggers. There is nomore love for the game, just the money.

[@64kingarthur]

Messi is literally earning money while doing nothing. What he will get in MLS is far higher than what he will get in Saudi Pro league. He will own a club in MLS, and he will get cuts from sponsors from the MLS. That's literally a generational wealth building.

[@Randomaccount9470]

He gets payed just as much lol

[@Steph88553]

​@@Randomaccount9470He could have been payed wayy more in saudi then in MLS considering there are no taxes but he took his family in consideration and moved to the MLS for that matter

[@pn074]

You think Messi is playing for free in USA 😂😂😂

[@mediacopycatkillers]

Great video, balanced and factual. Superb analysis.

[@razeenparappurathshafiq708]

Cr7 needs to leave saudi and comeback to sporting his childhood club and finish his career there.

[@Coach-rq6jx]

Al-Nassr is his home now, they received him when he was at his worst. And he has the commitment to the growth of RSL, expect him to own a club there in the future too.

[@arrunsandhu9461]

I honestly feel like the booing in the minute’s silence should have been the nail in the coffin for the Saudi league. As you’ve said there’s been no clear explanation for it. The football world should have reacted more strongly to fans booing the commemoration of one of the greatest players of all time. Just grim to see

[@TK_Brainslug]

wow I didn't know the Sadio Mané thing. I'm honstly releaved that Bayern got rid of him so fast. Great video as usual

[@radiabdallah2870]

It's a lie , she's 26 ,it has already been refuted ,but you know media ,if a lie is big enough ,the truth doesn't matter anymore

[@SMSami-uq2my]

i think its prettty normal in his country

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

​@@SMSami-uq2myIt is. They do arranged marriages in Senegal. I doubt he was cruising for middle school babes. At least I hope he wasn't.

[@decem_sagittae]

I just discovered your channel. Great content bro. Cheers from Romania 🇷🇴❤️

[@DejiNova]

Everybody just love hating on the Saudi league. Brudda are you expecting saudi league to compete with europe’s years of dominance after one transfer window???

[@Coach-rq6jx]

People are incredibly short-sighted. And in any case, it's just the hate towards anything exotic, really.

[@Randomaccount9470]

​@@Coach-rq6jxespecially since this whole crazy money thing was started in Europe, England specifically if they didn't do that Italy would still be the top league

[@mrziad92]

As a saudi football fan i can say this was one of the best objective videos I’ve seen about this topic. There are some inaccurate or incomplete information that are probably due to citing english sources which usually fail to the full picture accurately when it comes to saudi league but overall this was a great unbiased video.

[@meepinandmorpin]

Henderson botched his chance -- could've gotten that MLS bag but decided to go to the Middle East

[@att6484]

henderson could have still played in europe. He's not as good as he used to be but as proven he still has interest from big european clubs. He sold his soul, his supposed morals and in the end didnt even get the money. its prophetic.

[@kevinsmarx]

Why tf would he go to MLS lmao

[@trashAndNoStar]

​​@@kevinsmarxto get lots of $$ and play in a less demanding league? (While living in a culture thats fairly close to his)

[@Greimor967]

​@@kevinsmarxwhy tf would he go to saudi?

[@kevinsmarx]

@@Greimor967 Saudi has second division and professional referees instead of singers.. is way more competitive as much as it hurts your feelings. 6-0 🤫

[@AdmiralMakati]

Good balanced video on the subject that doesn’t dive into the sensational headlines everyone else does

[@giventema4009]

Am disappointed you didn't drop a KDB video 😢... Was eagerly waiting for it .😅 Hope it's still coming.. I mean Saudi 🇸🇦

[@marer231]

Great video and great analysis! Thank you for this

[@jayanths1221]

Meanwhile, Ronaldo: "Saudi league is better than Ligue 1 and Ballon d'Or is losing its credibility" Hmmmm, I wonder what he meant by that.

[@YosepRA]

From what he has been saying lately, I really see him as an insecure man. It's clear that he is paid massively to be Saudi League's ambassador. So, saying good things about the league is a given. But then he talked about Ballon D'or and FIFA Awards, saying that they are losing relevance is simply a sign of hypocrisy and insecurity. Insecure, yes, likely towards Messi.

[@Sirwanks4lot]

Make a video about Serie A clubs. Italy deserves some love

[@dazarba4666]

15:05 I am from Iraq, and I have heard the reasons from many Saudis I know. It is because of their extream religiosity, where they see a minute of silence as “haram” and that they are infidel Western customs that should not be followed. A similar thing happened in Al-Nasr’s match with the Iraqi club “Shorta” where a minute of silence was held for the player’s father, “Faisal Jassim” The minute of silence was not respected to the point that some AlNasr players did not even stand for a minute and they waiting for it to end. It is truly unacceptable behavior. Minutes of silence must be respected even if you do not agree with them inside

[@hugoboss917]

Riva's moment of silence was also booed before Italain supercup final 2024

[@french_toast223]

People just want to find a way to call it a bust, if a player calls the league bad everyone treats it like the truth, but as soon as someone speaks well and are seen as delusional.

[@seige8621]

Exactly

[@tyronelorenzovalentio3414]

It’s shit

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

People are calling it a bust because it has been bust thus far. They don't need to "find a way" to say what's actually happening.

[@raynardnewbill2031]

The late payment thing is also a problem with basketball players that play overseas from what I’ve heard on several sports podcasts 😅

[@OzyGB22099]

I would love to see you do a video on the Mexican national team/Mexican football in general. For a football crazed nation we haven’t won anything except for the 1999 confederations cup.

[@alwayselite748]

there’s like no football channels that ever covers anything central/south america football that speaks english. do you know any that you can recommend to me ?

[@bayokoebi9351]

If European players thinks they are too big for Saudi Arabia football they should shift their attention to African football

[@tajj7]

Personally I still think it reeks all over of China 2.0. There are multiple issues they are not really tackling, for a start outside the big 4, no one bothers watching, some games have fewer than 500 people, hardly says 'football mad' country or that there are a lot of fans into it, Notts County was getting 20k people in the National League last year, 5th tier of English football. The vast distances cause massive issues, players don't particularly like it, and it means fans barely travel so that also hurts the attendances and the game atmosphere (all of which are important to TV audiences). You then have the cultural issues, like it or not but fans will be put off by their human rights record, anti-women and anti-lgbt stances, sponsors, TV companies etc. as well, you have players not living in the country and staying elsewhere, which likely not many of them will put up with for long. Then there is the weather, not great for fans at the grounds or the players or the intensity of the football, the intensity I have seen in games is like walking pace, it reminds me of World Cups in the summer in hot countries, tempo of those games suck and produces boring football, people watch because well it is the World Cup, but they won't put up with it on TV game after game when better products exist (also ironically the more Saudi oil we use the more climate change gets worse and their weather will get hotter and hotter). Then there is the standard of the non-big 4 teams and the domestic players in general, its way below the foreign imports, it produces mismatches, poor quality games and local fans will want to see domestic stars, they will get tired of just foreign players all the time, increasing the foreign limits just makes it worse as even less chance Saudi youngsters will get in those teams and flourish playing with better players. Even the PL has started learning that lesson. If you look at the PL as the biggest, most watched, marketed league it has packed stadiums for every team, teams are close together so plenty of away fans and local rivalries, the weather is more temperate and together with English football culture this produces higher tempo, faster games that are generally more exciting to watch, English young talents are being more nurtured and coming through at clubs more so fans have a more local connection with their players more than they used to, and crucially the money is split between all the clubs so the league is more competitive.

[@eavyeavy2864]

Great, the comparison is the greatest league in the world. Epl is shaking

[@williamtendo7835]

Interesting deep dive on sports washing in general..

[@mikeisthelunawolf]

My friend. Sporting events that last 1 day, 1 week or 1 month in Saudi Arabia, totally cool and great. But more than that you go crazy. This country is so strict that people don't even go swim in the sea. I've been working here since october and my patience ran out in december. Riyadh is the most boring place I ever been in my life. Nothing against the people that live here, but they only enjoy themselves with sports. And for a person like me that loves a lot of different things, to be so much time in a place that "has no life" is saddening. They don't even have public transportation and the traffic here is impossible... If you are not here making a fortune, than its really very very hard to adapt to this here. I believe that in 10 years it will be better. But right now... Forget it.

[@abdulazizalabbad4755]

Sorry to hear that bro I wish u get uesd with time ..

[@trashAndNoStar]

If you get paid Ronaldo-level money I suppose you can fly to Dubai every weekend (and have a mansion there) for entertainment & nightlife... 🤔

[@josevillegas9009]

How is no one talking about Mane being a Pedo!?!?!?! This is fucking wild

[@mimistak]

😂😂😂😂 ok murican

[@64kingarthur]

He isn't lmao. The age of consent in Senegal is 16. Regardless, that should be the age where anyone should be responsible enough for their actions. Be it having a family or getting sent to prison. You burger thiefs always try to shove your values on other people and use it to mask your hate and racism.

[@LiftandCoa]

700k per week are 2,8 mio in a month and ~34 million a year what the actual

[@moose3645]

You are not accounting for taxes lol

[@damianmonzillo6058]

Thanks for this!

[@TheYouTubeCommentor]

Saudi football needs to be protested. Simple as that.

[@luciregelt2813]

You seem like a genuine good guy. Subbed.

[@saifabidalbloushi]

The western perception of saudi league was always degrading. But as someone who lives in UAE and loves football, we've always said that the saudi league is better and more conpetitive than the league 1 as an inside joke (but also seriously), waayy before ronaldo came in

[@akunwanneprosper7016]

🤡

[@Gos1234567]

Well it is shite when only 300 fans turn up to games ffs

[@duyanhng8430]

the saudi fans don't even care about their leauge that much, the viewership pale in comparison to other asian giants like the J Leauge or K Leauge, hell even Thai Leauge

[@saifabidalbloushi]

Yes i admit that the fans dont attend as much as they do everywhere else. Streaming matches is bigger than attendance

[@TwinSnake777]

@@Gos1234567it depends on the team fan base, Al-Hilal attendance for instance averages at 7k per match.

[@codyferrell1031]

First video I have seen of yours... First impressions are great... like how you layout and deliver the football content/news. Def subbing. Jaah BLeSSingS & ChEErs back at you!

[@mathiasjameson9574]

The MLS is going to be a lot bigger in 20 years than the saudi league ever will. And before you think that I’m trying to make it a Messi-Ronaldo debate, I’m not, this has nothing to do with it. But to grow a sport in a country, a culture, you have to do it with your own people. You can’t just buy players from outside the country and get them to change the culture. You need your national team to perform well in tournaments to bring up the interests of the fans in their local league. I believe that with the MLS’s investments in their youth and in growing the league locally without relying on foreigners, and after the World Cup being played in the U.S., there will be a legitimate raise of interest for football in the U.S., the level of football will increase, nationally as well as in club level and as the passion for the sport grows, so will the sport, and ultimately the quality of it. I could see the MLS being as big as the UEFA in 50 years. Because of America’s history in creating passion around sports and having this patriotic culture as well. And yeah, sure, having Messi there will help to boost the interests of the fan for a bit. The problem with Saudi Arabia is that they are purposely trying to hop on Ronaldo’s wave of influence and make it change their sport. Truth is, as soon as he will be gone, people will start being honest again about how terrible the league is and how bad the football is. No one is trying to pretend that the MLS is great football, yet for some reason many people lie to themselves that Saudi football is great. As soon as Ronaldo is gone it will be over. There is this feeling in Saudi Arabia that it’s all about money. The fans know it, the players know it, the managers know and the owners say it out loud. Without passion or actual investment in the national team and the Saudi identity, nothing will really change. They can’t rely on European super stars, they need to have their own. And sure it would take a lot of time, but that’s the only way to do it.

[@64kingarthur]

I just got one word to counter your long, tedious argument. France. That's it.

[@chai1513]

@@64kingarthur you clearly havent even read what hes written

[@64kingarthur]

@@chai1513 check France's national team and you tell me.

[@chai1513]

@@64kingarthur not a single player is in Saudi league, and Kante and Benzema arent a part of the team rn

[@64kingarthur]

@@chai1513 France national team, filled with foreigner. Okay. Europe taking South American, African, and Asian talents. Okay Saudi pro league poaching young players. Bad. The selective hypocrisy.

[@wizard380]

No matter what players they buy nobody will watch it because nobody cares about their teams. Fans like teams not players.

[@zbtyn]

Ight Econ major here will explain exactly what Saudi Arabia is doing. Saudi Arabia is, according to rumors, running out of Oil (not rlly rumors they dont really say or show how much Oil they actually have but according to their very aggresive approach in diversyfying the Economy, prob not as much as we thought). In order to get ready for the day after, Saudi Arabia is diversyfing its economy with a big focus in entertainment and sports. That is why there is such crazy investment into sports as they see that as a big possible source of income. The problem with the Saudi league is mostly the weather it is insanely hot and humid throughout the year and players from Europe, especially ones coming from England, will struggle to adapt. They can do what Qatar did in the world cup and adapt an air conditioning system to their stadiums but that might not even be economically beneficial for them. Only time will tell but there is what to be skeptical about in the Saudi football project however I do think they will take over Boxing and MMA in dominant fashion

[@duyanhng8430]

but when the oil money dried up can they still afford to host events at a high standard still or is the money so obscene that it'll give them like a 60 years grace period?

[@AbdulazizBokhariOr3z]

The fact that Oil is running out has been spoken about very openly by hierarchy so its a fact rather than a rumor. Unfortunately weather conditions can not be fixed, but with the vision to host the world cup a number of stadiums are planned to be built in the next few years adopting the same concept Qatar did with its stadiums

[@livwake]

Maybe not running out of oil but the world is moving towards renewables

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

​@@duyanhng8430If Saudi Arabia runs out of oil or the price collapses the country will run out of money relatively quickly. Personally I doubt the way they're going about diversifying their economy will work. It's like they're trying to become a post-industrial economy without ever being industrial in the first place. The thing is that even supposedly "post-industrial" countries like the US and UK still have large industrial sectors; it's just that those sectors are *relatively* smaller. Another thing that hurts the country is that it's not exactly a place where it's easy to have a large agricultural sector.

[@Greimor967]

​@@livwakehardly, renewable sources just aren't sustainable enough currently to pose a major threat to the economic viability that oil has. There needs to be a lot of advancement in technology for that to become the case imo.