@@mediacenterman8583100k a week was for him to sit in the bench. But if it was guaranteed starting and playing he would have moved for sure and he said that OPENLY
He wouldn’t though. He literally passed up 100k a week to sit on the bench and do nothing basically in favor of actually playing football for a lot less money. Sure he regrets it now, but at the time he just wanted to be a starter in the prem. Not so sure he would jump ship for Saudi league…not before he knew his career was actually done at least
Thats not how television works, they talk about it because it's content, people are gonna watch the subject because it's trending, and third they probably don't care because they are all former players and they can make money in any way
Dude this same crew have talked about thier first kisses and other silly things on air. Content is content. I've never watch a match of the Saudi league and I don't think I ever will. Highest maybe some highlights here and there but never sit down for a proper 90minute match.
Every region and nation has the right to develop their league. The EPL also used money as incentive too to overtake the serie A abs La Liga so I don't see why it should be a problem
Facts. Just another instance of the wheel of professional football power turning in favor of the Saudi Pro League and upsetting the already established European leagues who did the exact same tactic so their leagues would be dominant. Only time will tell whether the Saudi Pro League places emphasis and value on the financial aspects of building the sport in their country or the competitive culture aspects. We respect MOST of the European top leagues now because they now place more emphasis on "football culture" to drive and supplement their leagues so hopefully Saudi Pro does the same and uses their financial support less so they show the world they care more about the sport and less about their bank accounts.
@@monsta6501 This is facts fam. Same, its a conversation on what you are worth vs being able to do the work. Same with MLS bringing in MEssi, its the intention, if anything European football is in danger because they arent making their worth
@@nimahanna1709 let's be honest the western world doesn't really care about those who died building the stadiums they were more concerned about passing the LGBTQ+ law in the Arab, the tragic loss of immigrant lives was only secondary to them as sad as it is. Also, that has nothing to do with what we're discussing which is their funds. They have the means n we all know that. All this rancor is just because they see them as a treat poaching their best players by tempting them with money. It's all fair cos afterall Europe already inflated the football market especially the EPL, in the Italian serie A £50M is a lot of money but in the EPL it's nothing, that's why someone would pay £90M for Antony and £100M for grealish 🤦♂️
@@mariolouis3588 I speak for myself and not the western world. I'd prefer the funds of the sport I'm watching not to directly fund human's rights abuses.
2:55 Henry is such a hypocrite. Last year, he was in Saudi Arabia, working as a pundit, praising the progress in the country! (Not to mention, you don’t get to criticize human rights of other countries if you’re French - a country that sucked blood out of Africa in every field-and played for MLS when the US was occupying Iraq!).
if you can't get to criticize the state of human rights as a French African, a descendant of the country who literally invented and made human rights politically possible and a descendant of a part of Africa that suffered under colonialism then who rightfully can ? Equating human rights abuses of France nowadays with Saudi Arabia nowadays is insane. The abuses of Saudi Arabia far outweigh those of the French. And if you want to go historical, then as well the biggest slave traders of history were the Arabs.
it’s funny when people say Saudi or Arabs are against human rights in sports but forget that the UEFA and the FA in England push agendas upon players and sometimes blackball or ban them for an amount of time just because they(football players)don’t agree with or support their agendas…. I miss the feeling of football bringing us together as lovers of the game
Something else to consider aside from just the Saudi League itself: playing in the AFC Champions League compared to the UEFA Champions League is both less money and less prestige. If I'm correct less teams per nation have a chance to qualify for Asia compared to Europe. Now if Saudi manages to switch to UEFA or otherwise gets to send teams to Europe then it might be different story.
Seriously, the Champions league check? Dude, these Saudi teams are 10x’ing these players salaries. The UEFA money is like half the spare change in the couch for these dudes. Plus, when all the best players are in the AFC Champions league, then the payouts will resemble that of the UEFA Champions league because they will have all of the best players and everyone will want to watch that event.
I wasn't worried when Ronaldo, Mane, Henderson, Benzema and all the mid-thirty year olds at the end of their careers left for the bag. Happened with the MLS and the Chinese League. I started to get a little worried when players like Neves, Talisca, Veiga and Jota left. They had the potential to play in top teams in the top 5 and compete on Europe. Henry's right, Mbappe saved the day. If the best player on the planet left for Saudi, even if just for a year, every other player would have a seed planted in the back of their head that it's fine to go if KYLIAN MBAPPE did it, and that would've spelled the beginning of the end of European Football.
If the other players like Neves, Talisca weren't being pursued as much as the Saudi teams or didn't really put that much interest in them, can you blame them if they went to a club that showed a genuine interest and pursued them?
@@jonathanameyo3608 nah I have no reason to blame em, it's their career, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth knowing there's a slight possibility we'd be cheering for the best players in the world in a country where human rights are shook off
Even though several players went to the Saudi Pro League to play football. It show’s that it’s still a threat to Europe. Your right @poppyharlow4448 that Neves, Talisca, Veiga and Jota had potential to play in top 5 teams, but it brings it back to the question which was answered by someone on sky sports that the reason why players are leaving Europe and Premier League is due to not selling to the rivals, and due to the contract clauses and demanding more than they are worth. However, Henry is right that Mbappe save the day for now. But I do see the best players on the planet going to Saudi Pro League or MLS still. Anyways we have to see what happens in January transfer and in summer transfer next year. Hopefully they go in the top 5 league but have to wait.
@@bruceC.Yeah but most the leagues are turning into farmers league like La Liga is mainly between real madrid and barcelona ( with some competition from atletico ) ; premier is currently dominated by man city ; ligue 1 is all about psg and same goes for bundesliga which is being won by bayern for the past decade now. Currently only seria a out of the 5 big leagues has been actually competitive for the past 3-4 years. So the actual competition is mainly seen in champions league. The resource thing you said is almost all about money and even European leagues are getting fueled by saudi giants. So I don't understand your point 😑😑 If you really want europe to monopolize football then just earn enough money to buy all the talents across the world rather than saying this bullsh*t
@dankwaifuyeah but when european clubs buy off talented players from other continents because they have money it's ok but when some other country do so then it's bad You are really some biased individual 😑😑
@dankwaifu who decided that Europe is the epicenter of sports. In the last Olympics none of the European countries were in top 3 . And if you talk about football europe has definitely won 12 world cup but South America is also not falling behind with 10 world cups and they also have Brazil which almost everyone agrees to be the nation of football. Then can you explain me why should the South American leagues fall so much behind the European leagues? So I think you should grow a little more mature before replying next time
@dankwaifu yeah and they play in Europe because of money. Not all great talented players come from Europe. If South America had money they probably would have bashed the European teams in club matches but they don't have the money and so all talents go to Europe. So I don't understand your point. If Europe stopped using their money to buy off talented players from other places, I wouldn't have supported the saudi. So if Europe can buy off talented people and destroy other leaves why can't the saudi do the same. You are just a no brainer bais supporter of European football
Love Thierry, but mentioning Saudis human rights issues is very hypocritical, considering Europe's own issues, which he himself experienced many times as a player.
Right, we hear about the racism in Europe league all the time Funny how they leave that out when trying to make themselves seem superior over other leagues
the question is, why does Europe have to worry? Why does the West have a greedy approach to everything? Football is universal. Europe does not have a monopoly on the game. I hope the Saufi league and other leagues from Japan, China, South America, and the MLS get better.
When's the last time One of those countries beheaded a woman for sorcery or witchcraft. Don't get me wrong I hate American greed but maybe you should check in which team you signed up on.
@@andrehardy4721 Now, with that said, which country beheads women for "which craft." last time I checked, it was Europe that conducted the witch hunts from the 15th century to the mid-18th century. Close to 100k women were burnt and drowned alive.
Jordan Henderson was right to face criticism for his virture signalling and stance he had against Qatar and other arab nations in the run up to the World Cup.
It should be about Football, where were these human rights allegations when America did what it did with millions in the Middle east, what France does to Africa, and what germany did. when Middle east basically owns every big club in Europe. wasnt it about money then? and about the LGDisease+ issue Players are going to Saudia to save their kids from such atrocious vulgarity and mentally absurd Ideologies which are being shoved down their throats by the western society, we all know Arm bands, flags etc..
Henry said he chose to go to New York because he wanted the lifestyle, most of these players coming to Saudi want the lifestyle too, I moved here 7 months ago and the lifestyle in comparison to UK is night and day (quite literally). It’s relaxed, family orientated and very welcoming and no one bothers you. Quite a few of the players that came in this window were also Muslim so being in the country which is the heart of Islam is a great opportunity for them. The money may be huge but for most of the players it’s largely insignificant they have already earned a lot that the money they earn now they don’t really see, it’s invested, goes into trusts, charity foundations etc. Plus they could earn big money in Europe if they wanted to, maybe not the same level but still a lot. It’s normal that moving to the Middle East your wage increases significantly no matter what your profession is
It’s too funny when the Saudi come England and invested it’s ok and when they invested their own money there their country it’s a problem. This is crazy double standard and about gay and lesbian sh**t the European countries they try hard to stop it before it gets bad their own country’s and now when the Saudi government doing well and great job all this European countries again that. Stop it . Let them run their country there on way & respect it!!! Henry talking a double standard sham on he
Lolol now you're lying to yourself! They went for the MONEY! Good for u if you like the lifestyle in Saudi Arabia but I sincerely doubt that it's the care for these football players ! Im Muslim and I wouldn't move there for no reason! Just going there for Mecca ! Very racist country and their view on women doesn't match mine!! Even more than Europe ! So nope thanks !
@@ssissigui8846 it’s not a racist country at all, I know from firsthand experience. Also their view on women? Women make up a large portion of C-level and Director roles within companies here not to mention the large amount of entrepreneurs. Your view is clearly based on western media rhetoric. May Allah guide you and soften your heart. As a Muslim you should want to move to a Muslim land for Hijra and the best of Muslim lands is the land of the 2 holy mosques.
That's true, Abdou Diallo went to Qatar and the contract included creating a foundation in his name to help Senegalese kids and players visit Qatar in the future.
I don’t get why Saudi can’t be a big league. I like what Cristiano and Leo are doing . They both went to different parts of the world where football has to grow and it’s becoming more popular in this areas.
It will never be a big league because it's all about propaganda and sportswashing in a country were no one cares about football. They also will never be in any big international competition and won't be able to show themselves on an international stage. Real football fans dont want this soulless garbage like in SPL our Chinese Superleague.
@@Unknown-rw2jvit doesn’t matter. The fact that arguably the best two footballers ever played in those parts of the world will have a massive effect on children growing up. It grows the game.
Its funny how people involved in English football criticise Saudi Arabia. They weren't concerned about taking over from Italy as the best league in the world
As an Italian I totally disagree....Corruption destroyed the Italian League and multiple money laundering scandals! The same is happening in the UK but there will never be trials because differently from Italy in the UK there isn't a written constitution and no whatsoever called Anti Mafia laws in place
It's how funny that Theory Henry doesn't realise when he says he went to play in MLS at a time when US drones were killing children at wedding parties in Middle East. He also forgets he was representing France in 2004 when it was dropping bombs on innocent people in Iraq.
Why is it a problem for footballers to go and play in Saudi?? Don't so many of these ex players attend events in Qatar, Saudi etc and even work for their sports channels like BeIN sports?
If Saudi continue with their investment in the league, then i could legitimately see them being on par w the Premier League in terms of overall competitiveness & team strength in 10-20 years. Europe doesn’t have a genetic predisposition to football, & any nation that cares enough & has the finances to facilitate it, can become an elite footballing nation. I personally think that this would be good for football overall, & am rooting for the Saudi League to succeed.
Right. English kids just grow up wanting to be footballers. Americans grow up wanting to be basketball or American football players. Canadians want to be hockey players. It's a culture thing. Money can change culture a lot quicker than without it.
no because they didn't develop football at the grass roots, there are no indigenous players who are top in saudi, that sort of thing takes a lot longer than 10-20 years to improve, they might buy top players even but unless they have good academies and infrastructure they will always lag behind spain, england, italy and germany.
Don't forget the fan culture and its huge impact to European football (Saudi Pro League: Avg attendance of 8,500/game (Bloomberg)). They can buy the best players but a fan culture has to grow!
Here is my take Go to football league 2 which is 4th div of england and see how local fans show up with beers and banners of club how much embedded the game is in culture Literally stadiums are tiny often people can see through nearby buildings and its so heartwarming and incredible atmosphere If saudi can do same then best of luck to thwm
True as that might be, it`s always the dream of most of of those players to play in the best leagues in the world. To go to a place like Saudi Arabia expressly to play for money frankly stinks. Zero prestige.
It’s just that all the European leagues have a good youth system that brings out the best players. At the moment, I don’t know if they have that and everyone goes there only for money and not for competition or prestige. But they have the money to transform the sport so only time will tell if the youth system can be developed and made attractive even for foreign players.
@@alisoninchausti1080 You think if those players had big salaries in their countries they would’ve come to Europe for Prestige ?? I don’t think so Europeans are just jealous of others countries progress they want everything to be about them even in politicals aspects they wants to dominate in everything
@@alisoninchausti1080no Brazilian players went to Europe in the 70s-90s to player in a “better league”… Money took them there, and money took the best ones, which then improved the leagues… now, in the 2020s, 4-5 European leagues have the best players because of how good these leagues are.. funny, huh?
Had no idea the European leagues were signing players just to boost their image on the world stage and cover up human rights abuses. They’re both completely different situations.
A French & British talking about Human Right issues in a American show 😂😂😂.. C'mon. I believe Sports can open all the gates of social & political improvement. & What's the problem if Arab become hub of football. Like in past Europe became(by colonial money).
@@thydevdom talking about LGBTQ i suppose, its against Islamic values so there will be no legalisation. One can do whatever in their private life, sharia law will not interfere in their private life
@@thydevdomthere's nothing like level Europe and the US have committed and are still committing horrendous acts in their countries and outside it so they have no moral ground to talk about what is right and isnt
Before Ronaldo. Nobody of status really wanted to go. But as soon as the most famous person in the world left. It was a domino effect. Neymar, Benzema, Mane, Kante etc.
Had nothing to do with Ronaldo, the Saudis simply decided to take the sport seriously after the world cup and every single player that's over there right now would still be there even if Ronaldo didn't move
People were scared to go to the east cuz of terrorism etc. thanks to the worlc cup in qatar and Cr7 their mind has changed and saw its safe out there. + the money ofcourse
@@simbachegura6232 no quite bro. people dream of playing whenever there is a combination of the the best salaries and football and league wherever they may be. At one point the best league was in Italy then shifted to Spain, now it’s England. Maybe it will be France in 20 years. Maybe Saudi in 40 years. Maybe MLS in 60. China was paying big salaries but couldn’t attract top talent. The fact Saudis are attracting top talent in the prime might be an indication of things to come. You think Brazilians like Vinicius Jr leave their country to face racism in Spain just because they adore Real Madrid? Absolutely not. It’s the lure to earn 100x what they’d earn in their native country plus the competitiveness of playing with and against the best in the world to showcase how good you are. If the best players start playing in Saudi Arabia, it will pull emerging talent in that direction
That's not true They don't leave only for the money But also for the glory Beacause they are more passionate for Real Madrid and Barcelonas When such teams are calling you can't say no when you are in a smaller team ans weaker league
It's not Saudi issue about LBGTQ... It's those lbtq is the problem wanting everyone to respect them, while they doesn't respect other people culture, religion, views etc which doesn't suit their ideology.
This exists already. When you say PL, Bundesliga, LaLiga Série A, you have to break it down to the top 2-3 teams in each league. They snag top players from the “farm league” ie the other teams in their league or other lower teams in other leagues. Europe is a top area because you have rich countries and football is sport #1. Now the Saudis want to spend money. It’s a natural progression. It didn’t take long after the moves this summer for me to find Saudi highlights in English.
I don't REALLY think players play in the big 5 leagues because of the prestige or anything, it is (MOSTLY) because of the MONEY. Vini Jr would not have left brazil, his home country with big culture in football and many clubs, and where he feels comfortable to go to Madrid where is is subjected to massive crictism, racism, where there are new cultures and different weather just because he 'loves' the game, it is because Madrid could pay him WAAY more than what flamengo could pay him. Again, will not say that Money is the motivation for ALL the players, but it is a HUGE factor. And if a new country with way more money comes along and is willing to pay you WAAY more for doing the same thing, you take it! Not just in football, in any industry as well. You will be stupid not to go to a higher paying employer for doing the same job!
Mr Titi throws the term human rights around as if everyone understood what it means. I would suggest he give us a detailed explanation what he means by this and discuss human rights in Europe and America and in the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Who are you to say that saudi has human right issues ? Is really life in europe the ideal life ? Lets keep things in their perspective, football people should talk football only, Saudi has people passionate for football and their league has been competitive for many years and players joining the league know this. It is everyone's right to aim to improve their leagues and bring in good players not only european leagues have this right.
It’s interesting how Henry worries about human rights in Saudi but sits behind and doesn’t question human rights, freedom of speech his country is lacking in.
Talks our mostly about the big signings. But for overall quality and depth of the league, I have doubts if you can have a competitive league if you depend on signing all players for large premiums from other leagues. I think they have to invest in developing programs for local young players to get the average level up too which maybe they are.
How come it's against football what Saudi are doing and it's ok for Becks to literally build a new club from the ground up and have fans suddenly support that club out of nowhere and have Messi play for him and nobody questions where the money came from.
It's because the American clubs don't have enough money to actually effect the European leagues while saudi clubs do. That's why they are saying this thing because they are scared that in future saudi night actually end up buying all the talented players.
@@pathikdey150 i'd argue that clubs like Manchester United or Real Madrid do the same as saudis. They don't ask about the price just splash the cash and take whatever player they want making it impossible for others to compete on the market
It’s too funny when the Saudi come England and invested it’s ok and when they invested their own money there their country it’s a problem. This is crazy double standard and about gay and lesbian sh**t the European countries they try hard to stop it before it gets bad their own country’s and now when the Saudi government doing well and great job all this European countries again that. Stop it . Let them run their country there on way & respect it!!! Henry and that guy talking a double standard
It's lovely hearing all the EPL fanboys like Carragher complain about the Saudi Pro league when he had no problem with EPL teams financially bullying other leagues. Fact is money has already ruined european football, the champions league is incredibly tedious these days due to money so it's massively hypocritical of them to suddenly care about money ruining the sport when they never cared about it in the first place.It's also massively hypocritical to object to Saudi Money from Saudi teams when they have no problem with middle eastern money propping up EPL teams like Newcastle and Manchester City.
This is what I don't get. Other than racist bs. Any country or league in the world deserves to be top. If they have money + talent why shouldn't they?! Oh right. If it's not the white man it's "bad"
first of all, england is the "home of football" it is a country with rich football history and has always been a target for players to playing in the EPL one day. Secondly the EPL has not been dominant in European football, the italian and spanish league have been just as successful when it comes to european football. Yes money has ruined football and that's a fact however the Saudi league has no football culture or history and are ultimately buying players so they can win the 2030 World Cup bid. People forget the whole point of why this is happening.
Henderson was criticised because he was a specific vocal ally for LGBT people during his time at Liverpool as opposed to the other players. It was right that he was scrutinised for his performativity.
He's done good work, that has happened and will stay happened. He didn't have to do anything. He doesn't have to live his life according to LGBT powers rules now
@@askully If you don't support LGBTQ in the first place (which he clearly doesn't) then don't pretend you do. Stand up for what you believe in and don't virtue signal to the rest of us. It's the hypocrisy that's the problem, hence why Henderson is getting the flack when others aren't.
Hypocrites!! So Europeans and Americans don't mind foreign investments in their country by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and China but are concerned because these countries want to develop their football industry!!!
@@MayorSom talking about actual football fans, not plastic glory hunters that support oil clubs and have never stepped foot in that country. Sit this one out
In less than a year they've signed Ronaldo, Benzema and Neymar. They are out of their minds thinking it ends here. Salah will go there next year along with a bunch of other world class players, and in 2-3 years everyone will be jumping ship. The Saudi League will probably become the Champions League, where it's only the very best teams in the world playing each other.
@@JackSmith.9966 Depends entirely on how much money they want to throw at it, everyone has a price and they only need one or two big clubs in the league before the tide shifts.
@@ethanjohnson6861 Liverpool wouldn't sell him knowing they need him if they are gonna win anything this season. Next summer I think Liverpool would be stupid not to cash in on him for a record fee, he'll be 32 and Liverpool will have plenty of opportunity before then to find a replacement.
Saudi's league requires just a couple of teams to invest a billion on players over the next few years and they'll have teams comparable to Man City in strength and depth. That IS happening without a doubt. They wouldn't be looking to pay stupid money for Salah just for some fun. They will continue growing their teams and will throw what ever money they need to at it to make it happen.
some people always says that europe league is "the best league", so players are just play for money if they choose saudi but "the best league" can change, this position does not belong exclusively to anyone, anyone can get it, and lose it. for now this statement maybe true, but saudi or any other region or country can change it, and it is within their right for doing so, naturally. it is called "competition", saudi league or other league as competitors are good for the sport, the business, and in the end the consumers, AKA football fans all around the world. these people seems so "entitled", forget about or even instinctively against this concept of "competition". i won't be surprised if someday they will went on "sanctioning" or announcing investigation against saudi for it. after all, this kind of mindset and behavior is very common and typical for the europe these days.
I agree with Carragher. Top 5 leagues & champions league are still king. Saudi Arabia has a promising league, but as of now it's still played in beautiful, empty stadiums with a fair share of footballers that no one has ever heard of. I bet it's fun for the saudis, but I don't see it bringing any new eyes on it except for the short twitter clips of the popular names they've got there.
It will never threaten as long as it’s built from the top down - all the top leagues have multiple divisions with fans and a constant flow of youth talent. Saudi has none of that so will never last.
Europe is just selfish. Let every other league in the world get competitive and get better and may be 40-50 years down the line, we can have something like competitive Universal Champions League where the whole world will be involved. Football is one of a kind sport which most of the countries play and can get better at it.
Plenty of people have wanted enforced transfer budgets and wage caps for years. Maybe the outrageous figures coming from Saudi Arabia will inspire some action.
I might be wrong but I'm sure I read that if they joined the champions league they would have to adere to financial fair play which they will never be able to do with the money they pay out for wages and the lack of money coming in.
@@peteashton7121True. Which is why they haven't done it already. It's a risk. It could bring them the western eyeballs they're going after or it could destroy the entire thing.
That would mean Saudi Arabia would being to compete in the Euros as the FA of Saudi Arabia would have to join UEFA. That means that unless if their hosting they will most likely never make the WC ever again
Europe has for years and years stripped and bought African and South American players not just for the best leagues but many smaller European Leagues have taken talents of other continents. So why is it that If a Nation wants their country and people to experience the glamour and glam that European football brings in terms of players. What is the problem?
Money is the reason so many players join Europe. It's the reason so many players in small European league go to bigger leagues as well Being able to play the sport you love and be paid is the reason so many people have that dream
I don’t know why it’s a fear. Football is a global product players can play where they want. European football will always have a high standing as many players will develop and start their careers there it is logical because Europe is made up of so many countries and high population. If those players choose to go Saudi later then so be it but we have to respect its a global product. Your biggest asset is the fans and European fans are tough to beat. Premiership did the same thing. Initially getting players at the end of their careers like Gullit, Klinsmann, Zola and then transitioned to having more money and spending power. Everyone accepted it so why can’t we accept this?
@@romanempire7240 that is true (you are right) it’s just that I do not think we see this in a fair way. For example we complain about this but Chelsea have probably spent more than the Spanish and German Leagues combined and no one does anything about it. Even before the last two seasons there were many seasons where 2 or 3 English clubs were outspending leagues of different countries and the media if anything seemed happy about it. Anyway Europe will keep its place in football I don’t think that will change purely because players will want the history, stadiums and… The champions League. If they let a Saudi club into the champions League tho? Then yeah it’s over.
I'm all for the Saudi Arabia league to make as much damage as possible to european football and especially that abomination called Champions League, which can only be won by an elite circle of five or six clubs that have been signing all the best players for years. The one I support is not among them, then why should I be worried?
If Saudi Arabia League get better Broadcasting I know for sure it will take over.. the difficulties it face to get coverage of the games is the only thing holding them back but if they should start broadcast on accessible network they will win because the quod football is great an these players that are going there still got there fans that want to see them play
Revealing Double Standards: The Hypocrisy Regarding Engagement in Saudi Arabia In a world where many claim to abstain from judgment, a cloak of hypocrisy and jealousy frequently persists. Beneath the facade of non-judgment, there lurks a subtle suggestion that involvement in activities within Saudi Arabia carries an undeserved stigma.
The Saudi league is still a big threat, people have just calmed down or forgotten about it because the transfer window has closed. Those four rich Saudi clubs have only had one transfer window to spend their money, they will be back in January/next summer even more ambitious with bigger spending. At the end of the day, I will always watch the Premier League because that’s where the club I support is. And I’ve actually only watched one Saudi league game this season despite all their spending, whereas last season I watched quite a few Al-Nassr games out of Ronaldo curiosity.
Saudi Arabia is taking over not just football but all kind of sports and there is nothing Europe or the world can do about it. It’s also a great country 🇸🇦🇸🇦🇸🇦
Gabri Vega, Laporte, Reuben Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic, Fofana, Kante, Benzema (current Balon D’or holder), Bounou past their best? Go learn about football before speaking/typing online!
@@sulaimanodonnell8743 yes , these are players who lack motivation to play top football, definition of finished player, its not just talent or even age that defines how finished you are, its the motivation to play football, these people chose money over football that shows their motivation for the game is finished.
@@vik24oct1991 as I said go and learn before speaking. They are all (mostly all) including Ronaldo still playing International football. Bounou as just one example was being tracked by Bayern plus other big name European clubs before going to Al Hilal, as was Reuben Neves (Barcelona, supposedly Liverpool), Fofana was being tracked by many big clubs across Europe after his impressive season with Lens. I could go through each one to prove you wrong but I’m not wasting my time with that. Stop being a headline reader and actually do real reading, listening and watching.Have you ever watched a Saudi Pro League game? The games are fairly competitive especially between the big sides.
@@sulaimanodonnell8743benezama is 34 so I understand! You might have best players but it ultimately the local players that needs up their game and also do well for their national team…. They should atleast get out of the group stages in order to raise their profile!
Hypocrisy is crazy, replace Saudi League with the Premier League and this conversation wouldn’t be happening. Europe has been stealing talents from all over the world, South America, Africa, Asia.. but when another country not in Europe is doung it is blasphemy? It’s the same thing
I think Europe needs to stop with the "itl be a sad day" etc. Players are all for the money these days. They're pretty much just independent contractors. Football is more of a business than a sport these days. But it's not Saudi who have put those norms in place. Its the premier league. The sky money etc turned the Premier league into the money driven world it is now. Saudi just playing by the same rules but they've got more money
The reason why Europe is dominate with football is because they had more views which means more revenue to buy players Saudi has money even tho it doesn't get many views, now they can pull the views from Europe with high profile players If it wasn't for Europe money/views they would not go over there either, kinda sad that their are blinded by the so called "prestige" when it was money/views
So you would rather have people being captivated and basically killed than have people protect them and stand by them or maybe save them? You're messed up inside out
I was in Saudi recently and Thierry Henry was there giving an excellent talk on online safety and his app to tackle hate crime. He knows it's the start of something big.
Europe should be worried by the Saudi Pro League!!! As this is a league that is getting players who are coming to the end of their careers and looking for one final payday... If players in their prime decide to go to the Saudi Pro League then it's problematic for Europe...
@@idrinkchocomil they were buying young players and players in prime . Saudi is buying retired players or players who r just 1-2 years away from retiring
The historical implications of European leagues is complex and mostly negative for sure. The human rights are definitely a factor - always have been. But the other factor is development, especially for youth. Growing up in a supportive environment both as an athlete and as a young adult. These are still human beings, not just performers.
If Saudi are serious and want to attract more fans and viewers they should not just bring in star players but also create them. The next Saudi Messi would be more impressive than just paying Messi to play there too.
So let me get this. They think the Saudi league buying top players is a problem because it takes away players from Europe and MLS. This to me doesn’t sound like they care about football, it sounds like they just dont want anyone to be better than Europe and US.
I often hear in Europe of refugees that they should accept our European views and our LGBT culture or whatever etc., and then we don't respect other countries' culture... I think that we are not in a position to dictate to other countries what they can or cannot do...
Disappointed by Thierry. He calls it human rights issue for the Saudis to keep following their religious book and not allow the rainbow propaganda take over their youth
Europe does not have a monopoly on the best players. Hope Saudi league becomes successful to offer more alternatives to the cream of the crop in world football.
If it wasnt for money South America and Africa would have best clubs in the world not Europe. The whole reason the best players in the world dont play in their clubs and go to Europe is money and the colonial legacy.
just so everyone knows, the football organization in Saudi Arabia came right out and stated this "Call it sportswashing if you want, if it increases my GDP by 1 percent, I'll be happy."
I love how the people know that the pundits are wrong 😂, it's totally fair what they are doing. The same thing is currently happening in English football.
You're all just emotional, the pundits said nothing untrue or strange. You're just all touchy and ready to defend Saudi at any opportunity, which is admirable
The fact that Saudi has already started to be among the content of European football talks is a BIG POSITIVE sign that the takeover is real.... Following the current players flooding to saudi, i now know Al hilal, Al nassar, Al itihad, ...,, its real coming
Lets be honest, PL wouldnt be the top league without the massive cash that is bring in. SA can become the next big thing if players see the money flows for a long time.
Thierry Henry talking about human rights because Saudi don't give the LGBTQ community a stand in the country. His country France announced banning the Hijab and no one is talking about it. Hypocrisy
All SPL is doing is leveling the playing field. They’re just mad that football is too international now and not “Eurocentric”. Idk if it’s racial, but there’s definitely that vibe.
Making it sound like it’s some sort of crisis oh please. Drop the hypocrisy. When the premier leagues was doing it and taking all the best players from all around the world you lot were quiet. You need money to attract players and build a competitive league!
As an Arsenal fan, i love Henry, but on this issue he is wrong. Dont bring politically charged issues into football. Keep it about football. If your going to start talking politics in football, then criticise European countries and the US for their involvement in destabilising the world with endless wars and neo-imperialism. Every country has issues, let them deal with it themselves, and dont try to impose your western values on other countries, because it wont work, and you'll just end up looking like twerp.
Europe is the best because the best teams who have the best coaches+players play there. If these best players decide to go to saudi international fans will follow. Those who don't just have a colonial hangover. Saudi League would basically be an FFP free European super league
players may go there, but the overall football will never match europe. Take the likes of La misa (Barca's Academy), City's Academy, or Ajax's Academy, they will never be matched. These academies, specifically barca & ajax, produce insane player. European football isn't in danger.
Micah woulda gone in a heartbeat.
He once turned down £100k a week. Don't count on him to grasp a good financial offer!!!
@@mediacenterman8583big Meeks didn't want to be second to zabaleta hahahha
@@mediacenterman8583100k a week was for him to sit in the bench. But if it was guaranteed starting and playing he would have moved for sure and he said that OPENLY
He wouldn’t though. He literally passed up 100k a week to sit on the bench and do nothing basically in favor of actually playing football for a lot less money. Sure he regrets it now, but at the time he just wanted to be a starter in the prem. Not so sure he would jump ship for Saudi league…not before he knew his career was actually done at least
He said he'd go for the money but wasn't exactly in his prime later in his career
The fact that they had a segment dedicated to telling everyone that they're not worried, tells me they're worried 😅
Thats not how television works, they talk about it because it's content, people are gonna watch the subject because it's trending, and third they probably don't care because they are all former players and they can make money in any way
Dude this same crew have talked about thier first kisses and other silly things on air. Content is content. I've never watch a match of the Saudi league and I don't think I ever will.
Highest maybe some highlights here and there but never sit down for a proper 90minute match.
Nah not a chance 8,000 avreage attendance? Money can't buy fan's just ask Man City 😂😂😂
I think some prime players will go over to Saudi Pro League
😂😂😂👍.
Henry, Can you talk about the human rights in Africa and what does France do to these countries?
OR ISRAHELL
@@lazyfingers4382🤡🤡🤡🤡
@k.guillaume2282 Later in the video, Henry starts saying that Saudi is abusing human rights.
Or iraq.
I'm glad someone said it.
Every region and nation has the right to develop their league. The EPL also used money as incentive too to overtake the serie A abs La Liga so I don't see why it should be a problem
Facts. Just another instance of the wheel of professional football power turning in favor of the Saudi Pro League and upsetting the already established European leagues who did the exact same tactic so their leagues would be dominant. Only time will tell whether the Saudi Pro League places emphasis and value on the financial aspects of building the sport in their country or the competitive culture aspects. We respect MOST of the European top leagues now because they now place more emphasis on "football culture" to drive and supplement their leagues so hopefully Saudi Pro does the same and uses their financial support less so they show the world they care more about the sport and less about their bank accounts.
it's worrying where the money is coming from and what its funding. Ideally you don't want slaves dying to build your football stadiums
@@monsta6501 This is facts fam. Same, its a conversation on what you are worth vs being able to do the work. Same with MLS bringing in MEssi, its the intention, if anything European football is in danger because they arent making their worth
@@nimahanna1709 let's be honest the western world doesn't really care about those who died building the stadiums they were more concerned about passing the LGBTQ+ law in the Arab, the tragic loss of immigrant lives was only secondary to them as sad as it is. Also, that has nothing to do with what we're discussing which is their funds. They have the means n we all know that. All this rancor is just because they see them as a treat poaching their best players by tempting them with money. It's all fair cos afterall Europe already inflated the football market especially the EPL, in the Italian serie A £50M is a lot of money but in the EPL it's nothing, that's why someone would pay £90M for Antony and £100M for grealish 🤦♂️
@@mariolouis3588 I speak for myself and not the western world. I'd prefer the funds of the sport I'm watching not to directly fund human's rights abuses.
2:55 Henry is such a hypocrite. Last year, he was in Saudi Arabia, working as a pundit, praising the progress in the country! (Not to mention, you don’t get to criticize human rights of other countries if you’re French - a country that sucked blood out of Africa in every field-and played for MLS when the US was occupying Iraq!).
He’s a puppet
LGBT he is concerned about..what that has to do with football
if you can't get to criticize the state of human rights as a French African, a descendant of the country who literally invented and made human rights politically possible and a descendant of a part of Africa that suffered under colonialism then who rightfully can ?
Equating human rights abuses of France nowadays with Saudi Arabia nowadays is insane. The abuses of Saudi Arabia far outweigh those of the French. And if you want to go historical, then as well the biggest slave traders of history were the Arabs.
@@mr.awesome7002I would say the tiny hat wearers who one cannot criticize were/still are the biggest slave traders.
@@Ascending11 How ?! When ?! When historically did the Jews ever command a large slave empire ?
it’s funny when people say Saudi or Arabs are against human rights in sports but forget that the UEFA and the FA in England push agendas upon players and sometimes blackball or ban them for an amount of time just because they(football players)don’t agree with or support their agendas…. I miss the feeling of football bringing us together as lovers of the game
Stolen by the rich the new sport is gambling
dear henry can u please talk about France's human rights in Africa?
What??
Something else to consider aside from just the Saudi League itself: playing in the AFC Champions League compared to the UEFA Champions League is both less money and less prestige. If I'm correct less teams per nation have a chance to qualify for Asia compared to Europe.
Now if Saudi manages to switch to UEFA or otherwise gets to send teams to Europe then it might be different story.
Do not speak without aware
Financial Fair Play😂😂😂, might as well throw that out 🤣
@@laurencekevingarcia772Tell that to Manchester City with 115+ FFP violatuons alleged by EPL itself 😂😂😂
Seriously, the Champions league check? Dude, these Saudi teams are 10x’ing these players salaries. The UEFA money is like half the spare change in the couch for these dudes. Plus, when all the best players are in the AFC Champions league, then the payouts will resemble that of the UEFA Champions league because they will have all of the best players and everyone will want to watch that event.
Honestly i was not interested in watching the Saudi League, but the game between Al Nassr and Al Ahli captivated me
Fantastic and very competitive league 🔥 🔥💪
You should watch the game between Al Hilal and Al Ittihad
I watch not an single game of this League.
I wasn't worried when Ronaldo, Mane, Henderson, Benzema and all the mid-thirty year olds at the end of their careers left for the bag. Happened with the MLS and the Chinese League. I started to get a little worried when players like Neves, Talisca, Veiga and Jota left. They had the potential to play in top teams in the top 5 and compete on Europe. Henry's right, Mbappe saved the day. If the best player on the planet left for Saudi, even if just for a year, every other player would have a seed planted in the back of their head that it's fine to go if KYLIAN MBAPPE did it, and that would've spelled the beginning of the end of European Football.
If the other players like Neves, Talisca weren't being pursued as much as the Saudi teams or didn't really put that much interest in them, can you blame them if they went to a club that showed a genuine interest and pursued them?
@@jonathanameyo3608 nah I have no reason to blame em, it's their career, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth knowing there's a slight possibility we'd be cheering for the best players in the world in a country where human rights are shook off
Even though several players went to the Saudi Pro League to play football. It show’s that it’s still a threat to Europe. Your right @poppyharlow4448 that Neves, Talisca, Veiga and Jota had potential to play in top 5 teams, but it brings it back to the question which was answered by someone on sky sports that the reason why players are leaving Europe and Premier League is due to not selling to the rivals, and due to the contract clauses and demanding more than they are worth. However, Henry is right that Mbappe save the day for now. But I do see the best players on the planet going to Saudi Pro League or MLS still. Anyways we have to see what happens in January transfer and in summer transfer next year. Hopefully they go in the top 5 league but have to wait.
keep worrying
I mean Benzema was just coming off a ballon d’or tho
Europe does not and should not have a monopoly on the best players and competition in the great gane. Its for everybody
lol
@@bruceC.
@@bruceC.Yeah but most the leagues are turning into farmers league like La Liga is mainly between real madrid and barcelona ( with some competition from atletico ) ; premier is currently dominated by man city ; ligue 1 is all about psg and same goes for bundesliga which is being won by bayern for the past decade now. Currently only seria a out of the 5 big leagues has been actually competitive for the past 3-4 years.
So the actual competition is mainly seen in champions league.
The resource thing you said is almost all about money and even European leagues are getting fueled by saudi giants. So I don't understand your point 😑😑
If you really want europe to monopolize football then just earn enough money to buy all the talents across the world rather than saying this bullsh*t
@dankwaifuyeah but when european clubs buy off talented players from other continents because they have money it's ok but when some other country do so then it's bad
You are really some biased individual 😑😑
@dankwaifu who decided that Europe is the epicenter of sports.
In the last Olympics none of the European countries were in top 3 .
And if you talk about football europe has definitely won 12 world cup but South America is also not falling behind with 10 world cups and they also have Brazil which almost everyone agrees to be the nation of football. Then can you explain me why should the South American leagues fall so much behind the European leagues?
So I think you should grow a little more mature before replying next time
@dankwaifu yeah and they play in Europe because of money.
Not all great talented players come from Europe. If South America had money they probably would have bashed the European teams in club matches but they don't have the money and so all talents go to Europe. So I don't understand your point. If Europe stopped using their money to buy off talented players from other places, I wouldn't have supported the saudi.
So if Europe can buy off talented people and destroy other leaves why can't the saudi do the same. You are just a no brainer bais supporter of European football
Love Thierry, but mentioning Saudis human rights issues is very hypocritical, considering Europe's own issues, which he himself experienced many times as a player.
He’s a puppet.
Right, we hear about the racism in Europe league all the time
Funny how they leave that out when trying to make themselves seem superior over other leagues
😂I just don’t understand these African players who really believe they are Europeans
@@thedakhakhnis8031 Bro it's the worst thing 2 see honestly
the question is, why does Europe have to worry? Why does the West have a greedy approach to everything? Football is universal. Europe does not have a monopoly on the game. I hope the Saufi league and other leagues from Japan, China, South America, and the MLS get better.
Well said 👏👏👏
When's the last time One of those countries beheaded a woman for sorcery or witchcraft. Don't get me wrong I hate American greed but maybe you should check in which team you signed up on.
@@andrehardy4721 Now, with that said, which country beheads women for "which craft." last time I checked, it was Europe that conducted the witch hunts from the 15th century to the mid-18th century. Close to 100k women were burnt and drowned alive.
Jordan Henderson was right to face criticism for his virture signalling and stance he had against Qatar and other arab nations in the run up to the World Cup.
It should be about Football, where were these human rights allegations when America did what it did with millions in the Middle east, what France does to Africa, and what germany did. when Middle east basically owns every big club in Europe. wasnt it about money then?
and about the LGDisease+ issue Players are going to Saudia to save their kids from such atrocious vulgarity and mentally absurd Ideologies which are being shoved down their throats by the western society, we all know Arm bands, flags etc..
And then probably he realised he comes from England and has no legs to have any sort of virtue signalling 😅
Henry said he chose to go to New York because he wanted the lifestyle, most of these players coming to Saudi want the lifestyle too, I moved here 7 months ago and the lifestyle in comparison to UK is night and day (quite literally). It’s relaxed, family orientated and very welcoming and no one bothers you. Quite a few of the players that came in this window were also Muslim so being in the country which is the heart of Islam is a great opportunity for them. The money may be huge but for most of the players it’s largely insignificant they have already earned a lot that the money they earn now they don’t really see, it’s invested, goes into trusts, charity foundations etc. Plus they could earn big money in Europe if they wanted to, maybe not the same level but still a lot. It’s normal that moving to the Middle East your wage increases significantly no matter what your profession is
It’s too funny when the Saudi come England and invested it’s ok and when they invested their own money there their country it’s a problem. This is crazy double standard and about gay and lesbian sh**t the European countries they try hard to stop it before it gets bad their own country’s and now when the Saudi government doing well and great job all this European countries again that. Stop it . Let them run their country there on way & respect it!!! Henry talking a double standard sham on he
pretty sure its the money bro.
Lolol now you're lying to yourself! They went for the MONEY! Good for u if you like the lifestyle in Saudi Arabia but I sincerely doubt that it's the care for these football players ! Im Muslim and I wouldn't move there for no reason! Just going there for Mecca !
Very racist country and their view on women doesn't match mine!! Even more than Europe ! So nope thanks !
@@ssissigui8846 it’s not a racist country at all, I know from firsthand experience. Also their view on women? Women make up a large portion of C-level and Director roles within companies here not to mention the large amount of entrepreneurs. Your view is clearly based on western media rhetoric. May Allah guide you and soften your heart. As a Muslim you should want to move to a Muslim land for Hijra and the best of Muslim lands is the land of the 2 holy mosques.
That's true, Abdou Diallo went to Qatar and the contract included creating a foundation in his name to help Senegalese kids and players visit Qatar in the future.
I don’t get why Saudi can’t be a big league. I like what Cristiano and Leo are doing . They both went to different parts of the world where football has to grow and it’s becoming more popular in this areas.
But what happens when they retire? As they haven't got long left, let's be honest.
It will never be a big league because it's all about propaganda and sportswashing in a country were no one cares about football. They also will never be in any big international competition and won't be able to show themselves on an international stage. Real football fans dont want this soulless garbage like in SPL our Chinese Superleague.
Cristiano(and others) went to grow a league outside of Europe, messi is just having fun at the mls.
@@Unknown-rw2jvit doesn’t matter. The fact that arguably the best two footballers ever played in those parts of the world will have a massive effect on children growing up. It grows the game.
@@Unknown-rw2jveasy. They've done thier job. By then the saudi league would've attracted more attention that can't be taken away
Its funny how people involved in English football criticise Saudi Arabia. They weren't concerned about taking over from Italy as the best league in the world
As an Italian I totally disagree....Corruption destroyed the Italian League and multiple money laundering scandals! The same is happening in the UK but there will never be trials because differently from Italy in the UK there isn't a written constitution and no whatsoever called Anti Mafia laws in place
Using some Saudi money too (what’s that stadiums name?:)
It's how funny that Theory Henry doesn't realise when he says he went to play in MLS at a time when US drones were killing children at wedding parties in Middle East. He also forgets he was representing France in 2004 when it was dropping bombs on innocent people in Iraq.
@ChrisGrande Newcastle is still St James but for how long we don't know but Arsenal are The Emirates (I know there not Saudi but still Arab)
@@thedoc225ify yeah not Saudi more UAE money on England
Why is it a problem for footballers to go and play in Saudi?? Don't so many of these ex players attend events in Qatar, Saudi etc and even work for their sports channels like BeIN sports?
If Saudi continue with their investment in the league, then i could legitimately see them being on par w the Premier League in terms of overall competitiveness & team strength in 10-20 years.
Europe doesn’t have a genetic predisposition to football, & any nation that cares enough & has the finances to facilitate it, can become an elite footballing nation. I personally think that this would be good for football overall, & am rooting for the Saudi League to succeed.
Right. English kids just grow up wanting to be footballers. Americans grow up wanting to be basketball or American football players. Canadians want to be hockey players. It's a culture thing. Money can change culture a lot quicker than without it.
no because they didn't develop football at the grass roots, there are no indigenous players who are top in saudi, that sort of thing takes a lot longer than 10-20 years to improve, they might buy top players even but unless they have good academies and infrastructure they will always lag behind spain, england, italy and germany.
Don't forget the fan culture and its huge impact to European football (Saudi Pro League: Avg attendance of 8,500/game (Bloomberg)).
They can buy the best players but a fan culture has to grow!
Here is my take
Go to football league 2 which is 4th div of england and see how local fans show up with beers and banners of club how much embedded the game is in culture
Literally stadiums are tiny often people can see through nearby buildings and its so heartwarming and incredible atmosphere
If saudi can do same then best of luck to thwm
First Saudi needs to concentrate on their youth… there’s no point being best league if the youth don’t progress!
Europeans are just jealous of Saudi Arabia but forget they did the same bought players from South America , Africa , etc …offer them good salaries
True as that might be, it`s always the dream of most of of those players to play in the best leagues in the world. To go to a place like Saudi Arabia expressly to play for money frankly stinks. Zero prestige.
It’s just that all the European leagues have a good youth system that brings out the best players. At the moment, I don’t know if they have that and everyone goes there only for money and not for competition or prestige. But they have the money to transform the sport so only time will tell if the youth system can be developed and made attractive even for foreign players.
@@alisoninchausti1080 You think if those players had big salaries in their countries they would’ve come to Europe for Prestige ?? I don’t think so Europeans are just jealous of others countries progress they want everything to be about them even in politicals aspects they wants to dominate in everything
@@alisoninchausti1080no Brazilian players went to Europe in the 70s-90s to player in a “better league”… Money took them there, and money took the best ones, which then improved the leagues… now, in the 2020s, 4-5 European leagues have the best players because of how good these leagues are.. funny, huh?
Had no idea the European leagues were signing players just to boost their image on the world stage and cover up human rights abuses. They’re both completely different situations.
Why are they behaving like it's a bad thing , they do it to other continents
They say it would be sad for Football if the best players left the best Leagues. Well, they wouldn't be the best Leagues anymore would they..
I feel like this guy doesn't want to be challenged. They are worried that Saudi can take the best
A French & British talking about Human Right issues in a American show 😂😂😂.. C'mon.
I believe Sports can open all the gates of social & political improvement.
& What's the problem if Arab become hub of football. Like in past Europe became(by colonial money).
There’re levels to human rights issues….. all countries have issues but the Middle East is far behind.
@@thydevdom talking about LGBTQ i suppose, its against Islamic values so there will be no legalisation. One can do whatever in their private life, sharia law will not interfere in their private life
@@thydevdomI’m from Middle East and I agree with Henry.
@@ehpilot5937no one cares
@@thydevdomthere's nothing like level Europe and the US have committed and are still committing horrendous acts in their countries and outside it so they have no moral ground to talk about what is right and isnt
Before Ronaldo. Nobody of status really wanted to go. But as soon as the most famous person in the world left. It was a domino effect. Neymar, Benzema, Mane, Kante etc.
Had nothing to do with Ronaldo, the Saudis simply decided to take the sport seriously after the world cup and every single player that's over there right now would still be there even if Ronaldo didn't move
It was the money.
@@straightshooter8751no they wouldn’t and Neymar one of the biggest superstars has even admitted it was ronaldos influence
People were scared to go to the east cuz of terrorism etc. thanks to the worlc cup in qatar and Cr7 their mind has changed and saw its safe out there. + the money ofcourse
@@Idontknow-mu5xtso 1 player out of 30 said it? He also didn't say it was the main reason he moved.
It’s one of the best leagues already let’s go Saudi
Players leave South America for European Leagues because of money, not because they are more passionate about Real Madrid than River Plate
I want what you smoking bro people dream of playing for real Madrid can't say the same for saudi
@@simbachegura6232 no quite bro. people dream of playing whenever there is a combination of the the best salaries and football and league wherever they may be. At one point the best league was in Italy then shifted to Spain, now it’s England. Maybe it will be France in 20 years. Maybe Saudi in 40 years. Maybe MLS in 60. China was paying big salaries but couldn’t attract top talent. The fact Saudis are attracting top talent in the prime might be an indication of things to come. You think Brazilians like Vinicius Jr leave their country to face racism in Spain just because they adore Real Madrid? Absolutely not. It’s the lure to earn 100x what they’d earn in their native country plus the competitiveness of playing with and against the best in the world to showcase how good you are. If the best players start playing in Saudi Arabia, it will pull emerging talent in that direction
@@esorkinc4011 Someone finally said it.
That's not true
They don't leave only for the money
But also for the glory
Beacause they are more passionate for Real Madrid and Barcelonas
When such teams are calling you can't say no when you are in a smaller team ans weaker league
It's not Saudi issue about LBGTQ... It's those lbtq is the problem wanting everyone to respect them, while they doesn't respect other people culture, religion, views etc which doesn't suit their ideology.
Thierry Henry was payed to be in the studio for the PSG vs Riyadh all star match in Saudi last year so wtf is he talking about
This exists already. When you say PL, Bundesliga, LaLiga Série A, you have to break it down to the top 2-3 teams in each league. They snag top players from the “farm league” ie the other teams in their league or other lower teams in other leagues. Europe is a top area because you have rich countries and football is sport #1. Now the Saudis want to spend money. It’s a natural progression. It didn’t take long after the moves this summer for me to find Saudi highlights in English.
Fact
Eh alot of the lower teams in those leagues are still good and we aint saying that saudi cant spend money 💀
Everyone pointing at the Saudi Pro League, meanwhile the biggest Saudi club plays in Newcastle. Oh, the irony...
cuz they bring their money to the UK, but hell no if they want to invest on their leagues
I don't REALLY think players play in the big 5 leagues because of the prestige or anything, it is (MOSTLY) because of the MONEY. Vini Jr would not have left brazil, his home country with big culture in football and many clubs, and where he feels comfortable to go to Madrid where is is subjected to massive crictism, racism, where there are new cultures and different weather just because he 'loves' the game, it is because Madrid could pay him WAAY more than what flamengo could pay him. Again, will not say that Money is the motivation for ALL the players, but it is a HUGE factor. And if a new country with way more money comes along and is willing to pay you WAAY more for doing the same thing, you take it! Not just in football, in any industry as well. You will be stupid not to go to a higher paying employer for doing the same job!
Wish I could give you 💯 likes. You nailed it. If every employee in the world is doing it for money, why not then in football?
Exactly!@@letmebe1324
You have a point...it's human nature really
You have a point...it's human nature really
Vini is always calling Real Madrid ' the grestest club in the world' so money is not the only reason.
Mr Titi throws the term human rights around as if everyone understood what it means. I would suggest he give us a detailed explanation what he means by this and discuss human rights in Europe and America and in the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Who are you to say that saudi has human right issues ? Is really life in europe the ideal life ? Lets keep things in their perspective, football people should talk football only, Saudi has people passionate for football and their league has been competitive for many years and players joining the league know this. It is everyone's right to aim to improve their leagues and bring in good players not only european leagues have this right.
It’s interesting how Henry worries about human rights in Saudi but sits behind and doesn’t question human rights, freedom of speech his country is lacking in.
Talks our mostly about the big signings. But for overall quality and depth of the league, I have doubts if you can have a competitive league if you depend on signing all players for large premiums from other leagues. I think they have to invest in developing programs for local young players to get the average level up too which maybe they are.
I'm pretty sure, with their monies, they're doing it simultaniously
A French dude talking about Human rights while discussing Arabs.. The hypocrisy/irony will never cease to amaze me
How come it's against football what Saudi are doing and it's ok for Becks to literally build a new club from the ground up and have fans suddenly support that club out of nowhere and have Messi play for him and nobody questions where the money came from.
It makes u think alot because these guys always talked about racism but this stance from everyone in Europe makes me think otherwise
It's because the American clubs don't have enough money to actually effect the European leagues while saudi clubs do.
That's why they are saying this thing because they are scared that in future saudi night actually end up buying all the talented players.
@@pathikdey150 i'd argue that clubs like Manchester United or Real Madrid do the same as saudis. They don't ask about the price just splash the cash and take whatever player they want making it impossible for others to compete on the market
@@br4kecheckd exactly
It’s too funny when the Saudi come England and invested it’s ok and when they invested their own money there their country it’s a problem. This is crazy double standard and about gay and lesbian sh**t the European countries they try hard to stop it before it gets bad their own country’s and now when the Saudi government doing well and great job all this European countries again that. Stop it . Let them run their country there on way & respect it!!! Henry and that guy talking a double standard
Henry talking about human rights shocked me 😅
these are the same people talking about how great Qatar WC was but now suddenly players need to think about the human rights of Saudi lmao
It's lovely hearing all the EPL fanboys like Carragher complain about the Saudi Pro league when he had no problem with EPL teams financially bullying other leagues.
Fact is money has already ruined european football, the champions league is incredibly tedious these days due to money so it's massively hypocritical of them to suddenly care about money ruining the sport when they never cared about it in the first place.It's also massively hypocritical to object to Saudi Money from Saudi teams when they have no problem with middle eastern money propping up EPL teams like Newcastle and Manchester City.
This is what I don't get. Other than racist bs. Any country or league in the world deserves to be top. If they have money + talent why shouldn't they?!
Oh right. If it's not the white man it's "bad"
first of all, england is the "home of football" it is a country with rich football history and has always been a target for players to playing in the EPL one day. Secondly the EPL has not been dominant in European football, the italian and spanish league have been just as successful when it comes to european football. Yes money has ruined football and that's a fact however the Saudi league has no football culture or history and are ultimately buying players so they can win the 2030 World Cup bid. People forget the whole point of why this is happening.
This clown carrager is just salty that he didn’t get a chance to grab that bag of money .
Henderson was criticised because he was a specific vocal ally for LGBT people during his time at Liverpool as opposed to the other players. It was right that he was scrutinised for his performativity.
He's done good work, that has happened and will stay happened. He didn't have to do anything. He doesn't have to live his life according to LGBT powers rules now
@@askully Of course he doesn't, can still be criticised though
@@adamageli Criticise the people who haven't done anything in the first place
@@askully If you don't support LGBTQ in the first place (which he clearly doesn't) then don't pretend you do. Stand up for what you believe in and don't virtue signal to the rest of us. It's the hypocrisy that's the problem, hence why Henderson is getting the flack when others aren't.
@@cgk2859 I guess no one who lives in the Middle East can possibly support LGBT
Can’t wait for the day, they start talking about the African league like this.
Hypocrites!!
So Europeans and Americans don't mind foreign investments in their country by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and China but are concerned because these countries want to develop their football industry!!!
We do mind it lol nobody likes PSG, Man City etc for that reason
@@Chigz10 "Nobody likes PSG, Man City etc...." 🤡
@@MayorSom talking about actual football fans, not plastic glory hunters that support oil clubs and have never stepped foot in that country. Sit this one out
@@MayorSomliterally nobody wanted Man City to win champions league last year🤦♂️
So, block foreign investments in football and other industries. We are happy to keep our money at home. Have a great day @@Chigz10
In less than a year they've signed Ronaldo, Benzema and Neymar. They are out of their minds thinking it ends here. Salah will go there next year along with a bunch of other world class players, and in 2-3 years everyone will be jumping ship. The Saudi League will probably become the Champions League, where it's only the very best teams in the world playing each other.
That will happen only in your dreams .
@@JackSmith.9966 Depends entirely on how much money they want to throw at it, everyone has a price and they only need one or two big clubs in the league before the tide shifts.
@@CKarmorr yeah i think youre delusional man, if salah was going there why didnt he already?
@@ethanjohnson6861 Liverpool wouldn't sell him knowing they need him if they are gonna win anything this season. Next summer I think Liverpool would be stupid not to cash in on him for a record fee, he'll be 32 and Liverpool will have plenty of opportunity before then to find a replacement.
Saudi's league requires just a couple of teams to invest a billion on players over the next few years and they'll have teams comparable to Man City in strength and depth. That IS happening without a doubt. They wouldn't be looking to pay stupid money for Salah just for some fun. They will continue growing their teams and will throw what ever money they need to at it to make it happen.
some people always says that europe league is "the best league", so players are just play for money if they choose saudi
but "the best league" can change, this position does not belong exclusively to anyone, anyone can get it, and lose it.
for now this statement maybe true, but saudi or any other region or country can change it, and it is within their right for doing so, naturally.
it is called "competition", saudi league or other league as competitors are good for the sport, the business, and in the end the consumers, AKA football fans all around the world.
these people seems so "entitled", forget about or even instinctively against this concept of "competition".
i won't be surprised if someday they will went on "sanctioning" or announcing investigation against saudi for it. after all, this kind of mindset and behavior is very common and typical for the europe these days.
I agree with Carragher. Top 5 leagues & champions league are still king.
Saudi Arabia has a promising league, but as of now it's still played in beautiful, empty stadiums with a fair share of footballers that no one has ever heard of. I bet it's fun for the saudis, but I don't see it bringing any new eyes on it except for the short twitter clips of the popular names they've got there.
It will never threaten as long as it’s built from the top down - all the top leagues have multiple divisions with fans and a constant flow of youth talent. Saudi has none of that so will never last.
Each team has 8 foreign slots. That will definitely hold them back
In one year, they did all of that. Imagine after 10 years, what would happen? Also, empty stadiums? Have you seen the highlights?
@@emanresUcireneGSaudi has no multiple divisions? 😂 😂 (use google man, you’ll be surprised what you can find there!)
Saudi league is receiving attention.
Europe is just selfish. Let every other league in the world get competitive and get better and may be 40-50 years down the line, we can have something like competitive Universal Champions League where the whole world will be involved. Football is one of a kind sport which most of the countries play and can get better at it.
Plenty of people have wanted enforced transfer budgets and wage caps for years.
Maybe the outrageous figures coming from Saudi Arabia will inspire some action.
Saudi league will join the Champion's league in a year or two. They will use their money to get what they want. It will be very interesting then.
I might be wrong but I'm sure I read that if they joined the champions league they would have to adere to financial fair play which they will never be able to do with the money they pay out for wages and the lack of money coming in.
@@peteashton7121True. Which is why they haven't done it already. It's a risk. It could bring them the western eyeballs they're going after or it could destroy the entire thing.
Isn't there an Israeli club that gets to play in the Champion's League?
@@Nacht294seriously is this a question?in Middle East we don’t know Israel 😕 it’s just An occupying and criminal entity
That would mean Saudi Arabia would being to compete in the Euros as the FA of Saudi Arabia would have to join UEFA. That means that unless if their hosting they will most likely never make the WC ever again
Europe has for years and years stripped and bought African and South American players not just for the best leagues but many smaller European Leagues have taken talents of other continents. So why is it that If a Nation wants their country and people to experience the glamour and glam that European football brings in terms of players. What is the problem?
I don't remember anyone criticizing China because of human rights, LGBT, Christian faith.
Money is the reason so many players join Europe. It's the reason so many players in small European league go to bigger leagues as well
Being able to play the sport you love and be paid is the reason so many people have that dream
I don’t know why it’s a fear. Football is a global product players can play where they want. European football will always have a high standing as many players will develop and start their careers there it is logical because Europe is made up of so many countries and high population.
If those players choose to go Saudi later then so be it but we have to respect its a global product. Your biggest asset is the fans and European fans are tough to beat.
Premiership did the same thing. Initially getting players at the end of their careers like Gullit, Klinsmann, Zola and then transitioned to having more money and spending power. Everyone accepted it so why can’t we accept this?
Bro there should be certain rules for investment other wise # elon musk will make the greatest 11 😅😅😅
@@romanempire7240 that is true (you are right) it’s just that I do not think we see this in a fair way. For example we complain about this but Chelsea have probably spent more than the Spanish and German Leagues combined and no one does anything about it.
Even before the last two seasons there were many seasons where 2 or 3 English clubs were outspending leagues of different countries and the media if anything seemed happy about it.
Anyway Europe will keep its place in football I don’t think that will change purely because players will want the history, stadiums and… The champions League. If they let a Saudi club into the champions League tho? Then yeah it’s over.
I'm all for the Saudi Arabia league to make as much damage as possible to european football and especially that abomination called Champions League, which can only be won by an elite circle of five or six clubs that have been signing all the best players for years. The one I support is not among them, then why should I be worried?
If Saudi Arabia League get better Broadcasting I know for sure it will take over.. the difficulties it face to get coverage of the games is the only thing holding them back but if they should start broadcast on accessible network they will win because the quod football is great an these players that are going there still got there fans that want to see them play
Revealing Double Standards: The Hypocrisy Regarding Engagement in Saudi Arabia
In a world where many claim to abstain from judgment, a cloak of hypocrisy and jealousy frequently persists. Beneath the facade of non-judgment, there lurks a subtle suggestion that involvement in activities within Saudi Arabia carries an undeserved stigma.
Not like the Premier League fucks over the smaller leagues like the eredivisie, belgian pro league and other leagues, right?
I hope saudi create a big money competition and then we will see where European clubs stand.
The Saudi league is still a big threat, people have just calmed down or forgotten about it because the transfer window has closed. Those four rich Saudi clubs have only had one transfer window to spend their money, they will be back in January/next summer even more ambitious with bigger spending. At the end of the day, I will always watch the Premier League because that’s where the club I support is. And I’ve actually only watched one Saudi league game this season despite all their spending, whereas last season I watched quite a few Al-Nassr games out of Ronaldo curiosity.
Saudi Arabia is taking over not just football but all kind of sports and there is nothing Europe or the world can do about it. It’s also a great country 🇸🇦🇸🇦🇸🇦
Not really, the players they get are past their prime like Ronaldo. Money speaks to the Saudi's more than talent.
Gabri Vega, Laporte, Reuben Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic, Fofana, Kante, Benzema (current Balon D’or holder), Bounou past their best? Go learn about football before speaking/typing online!
@@sulaimanodonnell8743 yes , these are players who lack motivation to play top football, definition of finished player, its not just talent or even age that defines how finished you are, its the motivation to play football, these people chose money over football that shows their motivation for the game is finished.
@@vik24oct1991 as I said go and learn before speaking. They are all (mostly all) including Ronaldo still playing International football. Bounou as just one example was being tracked by Bayern plus other big name European clubs before going to Al Hilal, as was Reuben Neves (Barcelona, supposedly Liverpool), Fofana was being tracked by many big clubs across Europe after his impressive season with Lens. I could go through each one to prove you wrong but I’m not wasting my time with that. Stop being a headline reader and actually do real reading, listening and watching.Have you ever watched a Saudi Pro League game? The games are fairly competitive especially between the big sides.
@@sulaimanodonnell8743benezama is 34 so I understand! You might have best players but it ultimately the local players that needs up their game and also do well for their national team…. They should atleast get out of the group stages in order to raise their profile!
We can't criticize the players when our governments are in bed with Saudi Arabia already 😂
Hypocrisy is crazy, replace Saudi League with the Premier League and this conversation wouldn’t be happening. Europe has been stealing talents from all over the world, South America, Africa, Asia.. but when another country not in Europe is doung it is blasphemy? It’s the same thing
I think Europe needs to stop with the "itl be a sad day" etc. Players are all for the money these days. They're pretty much just independent contractors. Football is more of a business than a sport these days. But it's not Saudi who have put those norms in place. Its the premier league. The sky money etc turned the Premier league into the money driven world it is now. Saudi just playing by the same rules but they've got more money
💯% true
Talking about human rights, Thierry you're french, you're happy with how France is treating muslims ? please tell us
The reason why Europe is dominate with football is because they had more views which means more revenue to buy players
Saudi has money even tho it doesn't get many views, now they can pull the views from Europe with high profile players
If it wasn't for Europe money/views they would not go over there either, kinda sad that their are blinded by the so called "prestige" when it was money/views
Footballs always been about money nothing wrong with what Saudi is doing Europe has done it for years
I hope the Saudi league becomes bigger than the prem and ucl so they stop with these human rights bs.
So you would rather have people being captivated and basically killed than have people protect them and stand by them or maybe save them? You're messed up inside out
Are we saving them then? Or are you perhaps?
I was in Saudi recently and Thierry Henry was there giving an excellent talk on online safety and his app to tackle hate crime. He knows it's the start of something big.
Europe should be worried by the Saudi Pro League!!! As this is a league that is getting players who are coming to the end of their careers and looking for one final payday... If players in their prime decide to go to the Saudi Pro League then it's problematic for Europe...
No its not a problem. Muslims will take over world football in coming years. InshAllah
It’s easy for players to go for huge amounts of money unfortunately, and with Cristiano opening the door, not suprised this happened.
Cristiano left because yes for the money, but also wasn't getting the respect at Man U
Shut up , Ronaldo went their for money also , nobody was accepting him in europe .
Else everyone went their for money not because Ronaldogs went there
@@ce11amitkumaryadav83another Indian crying over ronaldo what's going on🤣🤣🤣
Bruh, Europe was making headlines with the transfer market with huge sums of money on players
Now that it's Saudi you think it's something new? 💀
@@idrinkchocomil they were buying young players and players in prime .
Saudi is buying retired players or players who r just 1-2 years away from retiring
The historical implications of European leagues is complex and mostly negative for sure. The human rights are definitely a factor - always have been. But the other factor is development, especially for youth. Growing up in a supportive environment both as an athlete and as a young adult. These are still human beings, not just performers.
سوف يتمنون جميع لاعبين العالم اللعب في الدوري السعودي وتذكر كلامي وانت تتمنى انت تحضر احد المباريات 🤌😉
If Saudi are serious and want to attract more fans and viewers they should not just bring in star players but also create them. The next Saudi Messi would be more impressive than just paying Messi to play there too.
Well
Appearantly Money sound bigger than any human rights
So let me get this. They think the Saudi league buying top players is a problem because it takes away players from Europe and MLS. This to me doesn’t sound like they care about football, it sounds like they just dont want anyone to be better than Europe and US.
I often hear in Europe of refugees that they should accept our European views and our LGBT culture or whatever etc., and then we don't respect other countries' culture...
I think that we are not in a position to dictate to other countries what they can or cannot do...
Disappointed by Thierry. He calls it human rights issue for the Saudis to keep following their religious book and not allow the rainbow propaganda take over their youth
Europe does not have a monopoly on the best players.
Hope Saudi league becomes successful to offer more alternatives to the cream of the crop in world football.
If it wasnt for money South America and Africa would have best clubs in the world not Europe.
The whole reason the best players in the world dont play in their clubs and go to Europe is money and the colonial legacy.
Fact .
What Hahahhaa ? Have you ever watched AFCON 😂😂😂😂 blacks and there victim mentality
@@cheesybellend6842looks like someone is triggered 😩
@@cheesybellend6842where are Fati, Cavaninga, Veira, Makelele, Bosinga, Evra, Marcel Desailly, Nani, and Zaha from?
@@senti2175 they even liked their own post smh
French speaks human rights :
What happens in Niger now😂
Exactly. Henry a sellout
just so everyone knows, the football organization in Saudi Arabia came right out and stated this "Call it sportswashing if you want, if it increases my GDP by 1 percent, I'll be happy."
It's Cristiano Ronaldo effect ❤️
Sad is that the premier league has been doing for over a decade now what the Saudi league is doing now
I love how the people know that the pundits are wrong 😂, it's totally fair what they are doing. The same thing is currently happening in English football.
You're all just emotional, the pundits said nothing untrue or strange. You're just all touchy and ready to defend Saudi at any opportunity, which is admirable
The best football show is back!!!!
No its not.
The fact that Saudi has already started to be among the content of European football talks is a BIG POSITIVE sign that the takeover is real....
Following the current players flooding to saudi, i now know Al hilal, Al nassar, Al itihad, ...,, its real coming
100% if all the top players leave en masse, who will watch their leagues anymore? It’s a players game.
Lets be honest, PL wouldnt be the top league without the massive cash that is bring in.
SA can become the next big thing if players see the money flows for a long time.
I no longer watch European football as I only watch football for Ronaldo viva Saudi league ❤❤❤❤❤
Thierry Henry talking about human rights because Saudi don't give the LGBTQ community a stand in the country. His country France announced banning the Hijab and no one is talking about it. Hypocrisy
Why not embrace the fact that the game is getting bigger
If it's not in Europe it's not the best? the next best thing is always just around the corner!!
All SPL is doing is leveling the playing field. They’re just mad that football is too international now and not “Eurocentric”. Idk if it’s racial, but there’s definitely that vibe.
Making it sound like it’s some sort of crisis oh please. Drop the hypocrisy. When the premier leagues was doing it and taking all the best players from all around the world you lot were quiet. You need money to attract players and build a competitive league!
As an Arsenal fan, i love Henry, but on this issue he is wrong. Dont bring politically charged issues into football. Keep it about football. If your going to start talking politics in football, then criticise European countries and the US for their involvement in destabilising the world with endless wars and neo-imperialism.
Every country has issues, let them deal with it themselves, and dont try to impose your western values on other countries, because it wont work, and you'll just end up looking like twerp.
worried about Europe eh? What about developing the game in Asia ? The SPL will grow the game immensely in Asia with this players influx.
Why are some LGBTQ hating on players playing in Saudi? It's their right to play wherever they want and nothing wrong in earning god money.
Henry talking about human rights 😂😂 ask America and Europe. Things going on in the middle east. How can u question the human rights?
Europe is the best because the best teams who have the best coaches+players play there. If these best players decide to go to saudi international fans will follow. Those who don't just have a colonial hangover.
Saudi League would basically be an FFP free European super league
players may go there, but the overall football will never match europe. Take the likes of La misa (Barca's Academy), City's Academy, or Ajax's Academy, they will never be matched. These academies, specifically barca & ajax, produce insane player. European football isn't in danger.