Aleksander Ceferin, head of UEFA, stated on Sunday that European clubs should not be concerned about a player exodus to Saudi Arabia and that the Middle Eastern nation was misjudging its decision to invest in stars who were towards the end of their careers.
This year, record-breaking contracts were offered to Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema by Saudi Arabian teams.
They are all at least 35 and have won every Ballon d’Or given since 2008.
More players are expected to follow after four top Saudi Arabian clubs were effectively nationalised this month when taken into majority ownership by the Public Investment Fund sovereign wealth operation chaired by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
Portugal international Ruben Neves is the latest player to be linked with a move, with Sky Sports reporting that Wolverhampton Wanderers have accepted a £47m bid from Al Hilal for the 26-year-old, who had been a target for Barcelona.
Ceferin was asked by Dutch broadcaster NOS if he was afraid of a player exodus, and answered emphatically: “No, no, no.”
“I think that it’s mainly a mistake for Saudi Arabian football. Why is that a problem for them? Because they should invest in academies, they should bring coaches, and they should develop their own players.”
“The system of buying the players that almost ended their career is not the system that develops football,” he added. “It was a similar mistake in China when they all brought players who are at the end of their career.”
Didier Drogba was the star recruit to the Chinese league in 2012 as clubs there bought Europe-based forwards such as Nicolas Anelka and Frederic Kanoute. However, the Chinese league and men’s national team have made little progress internationally in the years since.
“Tell me one player who is top, top age and who starts his career and went to play in Saudi Arabia?” Ceferin asked during the interview on the sideline of the Nations League Finals hosted in the Netherlands. “But it’s not about money only. Players want to win top competitions. And top competition is in Europe.”