It's the age of Portuguese captain's great voyage again, but I didn't expect that it was the famous Portuguese trio who supported the Saudi football map and ambitions, Mendes, Ronaldo and Mourinho, who not only brought the football spring to the motherland, but now they are helping to hold the World Cup and want to use football as a medium to promote their own Saudi Arabia.
First of all, let's introduce the Saudi Pro League, after the end of the 2022/23 season, the Saudi Super League will expand from 16 teams to 18 teams through the method of "four promotions and two drops".
The public investment fund, which has the background of the Saudi royal family, has purchased 75% of the shares of Jeddah National, Jeddah United, Riyadh Victory, and Riyadh Crescent, and the four giants that have received strong capital injections have also begun to upgrade and recruit in Europe.
If you're not familiar with the Saudi league, then let's take a look at these names:
Riyadh Crescent – Al Hilal, Riyadh Victory – Al Nasr, Jeddah United – Ittihad, Jeddah National – Al Ahli, Riyadh Youth – Al Shabab, Dammam Collaboration – Ittifaq.
Now it is basically called the name on the left, while in the past it was called the name on the right, is it immediately familiar, the regulars of the AFC Champions League, Al Hilal, Ittihad, Al Shabab and Al Nasr.
Regarding the introduction of players, I will not list them one by one, everyone has basically been thunderous, here I want to mention the brokerage predator Mendes, his Portuguese customers, a large number of influx to Saudi Arabia, for the development of local football, contribute their own strength, as for making money, it is secondary.
Portuguese players such as Ruben Neves and Otavio, as well as Ballon d'Or and football legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, have used their skills and influence to push the Saudi Super League to a new level.
Mendes has not only players, but also coaches, Riyadh Crescent coach Jorge Jesus, who has coached Benfica and Sporting de Portugal, Riyadh Victory coach Luis Castro, who has coached Porto, and Jeddah co-coach Nuno, who has coached Wolves.
The Riyadh Crescent led by Jorge Jesus, in the two-front battle of the Saudi Super League and the AFC Champions League, has been unbeaten in 40 games, winning 32 consecutive victories, if nothing else, next season will represent the Saudi Super League and participate in the Champions League as a wild card.
The 68-year-old veteran Portuguese coach, who was the head coach of Riyadh Crescent in the 2018/19 season, also went to Flamengo in the Brazilian league and Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super League, finally returned to Saudi Arabia to take up the reins of Riyadh Crescent once again and break new ground in the team's history.
The Saudi Pro League stipulates that each team can have a maximum of 8 foreign players, compared to Jeddah United, Jeddah National, especially Riyadh Victory's preference for elderly veterans, Riyadh Crescent has poached all young and powerful factions, Bounou, Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Milinkovic, Malcom, Mitrovic, etc., are all players who are in front of the game and can take charge on their own.
Like Mitrovic, a high school striker who switched from Fulham to Saudi Arabia, as well as Milinkovic, a former member of Lazio, and Koulibaly, a former Chelsea iron-blooded central defender, are all tough guys who have the ability to add fulcrums, and in the Saudi league, where the big names generally fight separately, they can achieve strict tactical discipline and give full play to their core combat effectiveness.
The already powerful Crescent also spent 90 million euros in transfer fees last summer, as well as 500 million euros in other expenses, such as dozens of Neymar's friends, each with a villa and a sports car, to redeem the 32-year-old horse from Paris Saint-Germain.
As a result, after Neymar, who has countless girlfriends, came, he first asked the team to fire the coach, and then ridiculed the other party for pointing him to kick a penalty, being a student instructor, and then he was seriously injured while playing for the Brazilian team, and Riyadh Crescent still needs to pay him an annual salary of up to $100 million according to the contract.
The team's top management took matters into their own hands and took down a master, which made them trust the Portuguese even more, so we saw that the new moon cancelled Neymar's qualification in order to be able to bring in new signings, and the scandals were undoubtedly Portuguese players, such as Manchester United's B Fee, Barcelona's Alix, although the players did not agree, but the direction of reinforcements has been very clear.
In the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo's Riyadh victory met Jesus's Riyadh Crescent, and the two Portuguese met again in a narrow way, and the final result created a lot of conversation, Crescent won 2-1, while Ronaldo elbowed Bleich and was sent off by the referee.
Blaich, this guy, is indeed not a good bird, pulling Sun Xingmin's hair, insulting Messi, this time provoking Ronaldo, to be honest, it is very dirty, Luo is three years old also wants to vent his evil anger for Xingmin and Messi, so he was impulsive, and the fans on the scene also cheered for my Luo, shouting in unison: Messi! Messi! Oh no, it's shouting: It's okay!
Anyway, in the crowded Saudi league, the Portuguese held up the banner, and now it is almost Jose Mourinho, who is idle at home, to sign, last month's Riyadh Entertainment Festival, Mu Shuai as a guest, stayed for three days, helped the Saudi side to do a good job of publicity, and at the same time met with the Newcastle side.
It is reported that the Saudi consortium is currently handing over the contract of the Riyadh Victory team, hoping that he can join forces with Ronaldo again, so that the Shachao can quickly climb a step in strength and influence, but obviously the old man wants to return to the Premier League, so picking up the whip of the Magpie is his favorite choice.
Follow me to witness Mourinho's next stop!