Four leagues that failed after big Saudi-like spending – from Russia to the MLS

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    The Saudi Pro League is the biggest threat to the supremacy of European talent.

    A key difference in their approach to other leagues that have come and gone in an attempt to challenge football in Europe is that they're trying and succeeding in the purchase of young players in their prime. Players like Ruben Neves, Allan Saint-Maximin and Roger Ibanez are all in their mid 20's and for the exception of Neves, the latter two gave up playing in European competitions to move to Saudi Arabia.

    While the Saudi Pro Leagues presents the most credible challenge, there are leagues in the past who tried to splash the cash and certainly triumphed with the signings of some top players but their reign didn't last long as Daily Star Sport looks at leagues that crashed and burned despite huge spending.

    READ MORE: John Terry set for Saudi Arabia move – but won't follow in Steven Gerrard's footsteps

    READ MORE:Neymar slams claims he 'wants Al-Hilal manager sacked' as 'lies' and 'fake news'

    Russian Premier League

    The Russian Premier League endured a spending boom in the early 2010's, mostly thanks to private-owned clubs like Zenit Saint Petersburg and Anzhi Makhachkala, with the former owned by Gazprom, an energy corporation with sales over $120billion (£98billion). That sort of revenue allowed the Russian club to buy the likes of Portuguese star Danny for $47million (£40million) as well as shell out a whopping $76m (£66m) on Brazilian winger Hulk which remains the biggest transfer in league history.

    Will the Saudi Pro League become major competitors to the Premier League soon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below

    Anzhi on the other hand was previously owned by Suleyman Kerimov, a billionaire oligarch, who brought in Samuel Eto'o for $43m (£37m) who was fresh off a 37-goal season with Inter Milan in the 2010/11. The mass spending for the club was short-lived however after severe cuts meant Kerimov was forced to sell all his prized assets as the club now plays in the third division of Russian football.

    Major League Soccer

    While Major League Soccer never spent to the level of the Russian Premier League, they've consistently brought in massive names from Europe who certainly cost a pretty penny. The league was put on the map in 2007 when David Beckham joined the side from Real Madrid as he earned $6.5m (£5.6m) a year with the club he spent three years at before joining AC Milan on loan.

    Beckham's venture in the US inspired other stars to move across the pond when entering the twilight years of their career as his fellow countrymen in Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard also made the move in the mid 2010's after spending their entire careers in the Premier League.

    The big-name signings never propelled the MLS to massive heights as they brought in the players when they were past their primes but they still managed to secure the signing of Lionel Messi this year, (thanks to Beckham).

    Serie A

    While Serie A is certainly one of the best leagues in the world today, there was a time in the 90s when they were the undisputed best.

    The league housed the likes of Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Christian Vieri and many more during the golden age of Italian football as the league broke the world transfer record on several occasions during the decade, demonstrating the financial dominance they wielded over the rest of European football.

    However, a corruption scandal in 2004 and 2005 sent the league in a downward spiral as Juventus, who won the league title in the 2004/05 campaign, were implicated in the scandal and stripped of their championship and relegated to Serie B. While Gianluigi Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero remained with the club, they lost the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Lillian Thuram, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Patrick Vieira.

    Chinese Super League

    The Chinese Super League is probably the most comparable league to Saudi as both nations had a plan to become the next football powerhouse and certainly had the funds to make that dream happen. Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, lost key player Oscar who left for $65m (£54m) to Shanghai SIPG (now named Shanghai Port) and he was joined by fellow Brazilian, Hulk, who left the Russian Premier League for greener pastures as well as for $60m (£50m).

    The league was buying players in their prime but the influx of European talent soon halted after a new 'tax' was introduced in 2018 to stop clubs forking out large transfer fees on foreign players. The rule stated that any club that spent more than ($7m) (£5m) on an overseas player would be forced to make the same payment to the Chinese Football Association.

    • MLS
    • Saudi Pro League

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