Generational Wealth Over Legacy? The New Football Reality

From St James Park to Riyadh: Generational Wealth vs Football's Soul

When the story of modern Saudi football is told in 20 years, it will likely have two acts. The long, subdued decades where Saudi Arabia failed to assert itself on the worldwide stage, and the sudden, almost cinematic years where some of the greatest players to ever play the game ventured towards the Middle East.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema. They are just three names of the countless greats who have decided to play in the Middle East during their twilight years.

But along with these greats, some players have left top European clubs to play for Saudi Arabian teams before they have even turned 30. John Duran and Ivan Toney both left top Premier League sides for the exponential paydays on offer.

And the reason is simple, whilst at Aston Villa, Duran received 75,000 per week, a fraction compared to his now 320,000 he receives at Al-Nassr.

Legacy sits uneasily beside sovereign ambition. For generations, a Riyadh derby meant something. The match could not be bought. Now the line-ups are filled with global stars, but the fierce, local passion that once defined those nights has slipped away

Legacy is messy, slow, sentimental and not always promised.

Generational wealth is tidy, audited, but most importantly, impatient.

It builds new, and better, facilities. Funds marquee signings that you could never dream of. It improves the infrastructure of the club, but most importantly, it expects a return on its investment.

For the Public Investment Fund (PIF) is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, managing more than $900 billion in assets with the aim of diversifying the Kingdom’s economy beyond oil.

They have their hands in many pies. Not only do they own stakes in companies such as Uber, Disney and Facebook, but they also have a 75% ownership of Al Hilal, Al Nasser, Al Ahli, and Al Ittihad and an 85% ownership of Newcastle.

An investment group led by #PIF has completed the acquisition of 100% of Newcastle United Football Club @NUFC. pic.twitter.com/EheSktF7fG

— Public Investment Fund (@PIF_en) October 7, 2021

Naturally, the four Saudi clubs bankrolled by the PIF filled four of the top five spots last season, three of them standing proudly on the podium.

For some, this generational wealth is a lifesaver. Matteo Dams, a 21-year-old fullback from Belgium, burst out laughing when he saw the proposed contract that Al-Ahly offered him.

At PSV, he was on a wage of just €30,000 per year. After moving to Al-Ahli, his salary was increased 100 times to €3 million per annum.

🗣️ "I just bursted out laughing when I saw my contract." 💰🤑

Former PSV full-back Matteo Dams on his big money move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia. It's reported they increased his wage by 100x. pic.twitter.com/XYOmqc8SAJ

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) September 8, 2025

In the recent AFC Champions League, he was an unused substitute as the Saudi side went on to beat Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in the final.

Dams is not the only European to move to a new frontier in search of gold and riches; it has become a growing trend in recent years that is worrying people.

Would you rather have riches playing in a largely undemocratic state where you can be killed for your sexual choices or speaking out against the monarchy, or play football for a lesser salary in Europe?

Saudi Arabia is not a safe country for thousands of its own citizens. It ranked 193rd in Freedom House’s annual Freedom in the World report.

This is the backdrop of where ‘five-star football’ is played out: gleaming stadiums, the best facilities money can buy, and headline salaries.

They exist in the same reality where activists are killed, women's rights remain tightly controlled, and members of the LGBTQ+ community live in fear.

For many, the juxtaposition of this situation is enough to question a footballer's morality. When Jordan Henderson turned his back and joined Al-Ettifaq, thousands of people questioned him, as he had been a huge supporter of the LGBTQ+ movement.

No acceptance by Henderson of his role in sportswashing, trying to disguise the disgusting Saudi human rights record. This sounds more like an attempt to rebuild his "brand", sorry isn't good enough @JHenderson, actions speak louder than words. https://t.co/JGOI5fY55f

— Kop Outs! 🌈⚽🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@LFC_LGBT) September 5, 2023

One of the biggest outspoken critics of the Saudi regime's entry into football is John Hird. Born in Felling, just four and a half miles from St. James Park, John has been supporting Newcastle for all 62 years of his life.

When the PIF became the majority shareholder of Newcastle United in October 2021, John joined up with another Newcastle fan called Dan to start @NoSaudiToon. Its name is blunt, its bio even more so: “NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing.” (NUFCFAS)

For Hird, the club he grew up with has changed beyond recognition. “Newcastle United are connected with the bloody Saudi regime. We started the campaign the day they took over the club. They affect the local democracy. The local council and MPs are unwilling to call out specific cases of human rights abuse that the Saudi regime has committed.”

His concerns are not abstract. In 2024, the Northern Echo did an investigation into MPs of the North-East and found that Richard Holden, Chi Onwurah, and Ian Mearns had all accepted free tickets to Newcastle matches.

Hird told me these handouts have continued.

He also admits that the same blind eye is shared amongst fans. When the organisation puts photos of Saudi Arabian boys who are on death row on their social media, the responses can be brutal. “These boys attend a demonstration on free speech, and a small minority of fans call them ‘terrorists’ in our comments section.”

Whilst only a certain few chose to spread this rhetoric, it is worrying that propaganda from Riyadh is echoed in Tyneside so easily.

The sportwashing runs deep. Certain fans are fine to label anyone who goes against the Saudi regime as ‘terrorists’ and ‘criminals’ as long as the wins and silverware keep rolling in.

NUFCFAS stresses that most fans are in the middle. They do not agree with the human rights abuses committed by the owners, but they also convince themselves that there is nothing they can do about this.

When the Carabao Cup final took place this year, Hird and other people working on the cause did not attend. They have boycotted matches altogether, believing attendance would make them ‘hypocrites.’

But Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Newcastle chairman, “tried to milk everything at the final. He hogged the limelight from the players.”

So glad for the city of Newcastle, but the sight of Yasir Al-Rumayyan at the trophy-lift is still wince-inducing.

Saudi Arabia are inseparable from Newcastle’s new reality, it is possible to both acknowledge that fact and celebrate the team’s success.

— Jacob Whitehead (@jwhitey98) March 16, 2025

What should have been a night for Newcastle fans to remember turned into a PR parade for its owners.

“States owning football clubs is like the goose that laid the golden egg. If you keep allowing them to buy football clubs, when does it end?"

For Hird, the situation is simple: “If you do not have a level playing field, football will cease to be a sport. In nine years, Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup, but unless they were to democratise in the next few years, they should be nowhere near hosting a World Cup or owning Newcastle United.”

For critics like Hird, the focus is on morality and accountability, but for players, the situation is far more pragmatic.

A footballer's career is short, and moving to a country where you can get paid millions of pounds a year not only sets you up for the rest of your life, but also your future generations.

If a club will sell you when convenient, why should you not leave for a place where you can maximise your earnings?

The game is fraught with contradictions. For the players, the question is unavoidable. How do you reconcile life-changing wealth with the knowledge that your employer jails—and in some cases kills—any person who dares speak up against their regime?