14 professionals playing in Saudi Arabia are taking part in the European Championship. Players like N’Golo Kanté, Cristiano Ronaldo and Aymeric Laporte show that the level of the “desert league” is apparently not that bad.
The Frenchman Kanté, who has been under contract with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia since 2023, was named “Player of the Match” by UEFA in both of the World Cup runners-up’s matches against Austria (1-0) and the Netherlands (0-0). “That shows something,” said the Spaniard Laporte, who plays for Saudi runners-up Al-Nassr. “People have prejudices against the league,” criticised the central defender.
“We are all aware that it is a relatively new league,” continued the 30-year-old, who played the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 win against Italy. “It is also gradually evolving on a marketing level. In the future it will be seen as a much more competitive league.”
Kanté in top form despite “desert league”
Defensive midfielder Kanté shows that leaving the big European football stage (he played for eight years in the English Premier League with Leicester City and Chelsea FC) does not have to cost him his stature or form. The 33-year-old is in top shape. His role as “Holding Six” was highly praised by France’s national coach Didier Deschamps: “He was outstanding, his athleticism, his tactical intelligence – that’s why I nominated him.”
Teammates such as Marcus Thuram and Théo Hernández reported at media conferences in the French camp in Paderborn that they had the impression of “having one or two more players on the pitch during training” when Kanté was present. A few days ago, the sports newspaper “L’Équipe” praised Kanté on its front page (“Kanté, le bonheur des Bleus”) as a stroke of luck for the national team.
Romania’s Stanciu was also “Player of the Match”
In addition to Laporte and Kanté, European Championship participants Marcelo Brozovic (Croatia), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands), Nicolae Stanciu (Romania) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) also earn their money in Saudi Arabia. Stanciu scored a dream goal in the 3-0 win against Ukraine and was named “Player of the Match”.
Ronaldo as a “great example”
Ronaldo was the man to be celebrated in the 3-0 win against Turkey – not because of a goal, but because of an assist: “I think we saw something very special today,” said national coach Roberto Martinez: “A great striker goes towards the goalkeeper and chooses the assist. What a great example!”
Martinez also guaranteed “CR7” a starting place for Portugal’s remaining matches: “For us, he brings experience, he brings scoring opportunities and helps us open up spaces. He is in the national team because he deserves it. All the data proves that,” said the coach in response to a critical question about the fitness of the 39-year-old attacker, who has been playing for the Saudi Arabian first division club Al-Nassr since the beginning of 2023.
Spain’s Nacho probably the next “desert kicker”
Due to the attractive salaries, the Saudi Pro League has recently attracted numerous top stars to the Arabian Peninsula – including the Frenchman Karim Benzema, the Brazilian Neymar and the former FC Bayern striker Sadio Mané (Senegal).
And Spanish international Nacho is also likely to be heading there. Real Madrid has already announced the veteran’s departure. According to the Spanish newspaper “Marca”, the 34-year-old defender, who comes from the “Royals” youth team and has won six Champions League titles with Real, is moving to Al-Qadsiah, where Belgian national goalkeeper Koen Casteels is also under contract in the future.
And Poland’s national goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny could also become the next current European Championship participant to head to the desert in the foreseeable future – the Juventus Turin professional is being discussed with Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr.
