Michael Emenalo says players are not moving to Saudi Pro League for money, reveals main reason

Michael Emenalo, who is now the Saudi Pro League's Director of Football, has stated emphatically that footballers are not moving to the Middle East for only financial incentives but to define their legacy as professionals.

The Saudi Arabian top flight is becoming a Mecca of football and has seen many top stars switching to the league.

After leaving Manchester United following his second stint in the Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia and changed everything positively for his new club, Al-Nassr.

The league has also recently added some other big names like Karim Benzema, who switched from Real Madrid to join Al-Ittihad and his new teammate N'Golo Kante, who joined from Chelsea, and Ruben Neves who moved from Wolverhampton to join Al-Hilal.

Many football fans seem to believe these footballers are moving to Saudi Arabia to earn top dollar in a lower-tier competition. However, Emenalo has stated that the Saudi Pro League is not only about the money.

According to the reports by the Athletic and the BBC, the Nigerian football administrator said players were 'not completely ignorant' of what the industry is about.

"They recognise when something is happening and you have to have conversations with them, not just the agent, and explain to them what the league is about."
He added, "So if a lot of them are making this decision, it’s not necessarily because of the economic side of the opportunity. It's also because they recognise that this is going to be something that defines their legacy and they have an opportunity to contribute something special."

"I believe this is a role that I've spent the last 45 years of my life preparing for!"

Newly-appointed Saudi Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo and chairman Saad Al-Lazeez speaking today...???????? pic.twitter.com/oiMDAV1YIn

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 19, 2023