"The Boss" in the dock
A shocking statistic has revealed that the four big clubs in the Saudi Roshn League, Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad, have lost more than a billion euros in just five years.
The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) ran a new study into how much clubs around the world have lost on players, whether through buying them and selling them on, or through a drop in their market value.
Researchers looked only at the last five years, specifically from the summer transfer window of 2022, a year before the Saudi league's revolution began with the signing of global stars.
That study puts Al Hilal top of the pile for the wrong reasons. No club on the planet has lost more. Their total from deals struck over the past five years comes to 502 million euros.
Two figures make up that sum. The first, 315 million euros, is the difference between what Al Hilal paid for players and what they got back when they sold them.
Their current squad accounts for the other 187 million euros, the gap between what the club paid to sign those players and what they are worth on today's market.
Strangely, the Saudi league's big four all land in the top six. Al Nassr sit third with losses of 229 million euros, Al Ittihad fifth on 175 million, and Al Ahli sixth on 134 million.
Add it all up and the major Saudi clubs have burned through one billion and 40 million euros in five years, comparing what they paid for players against what they sold them for or what they are worth now.
Two English clubs also make the top six. Manchester United sit second behind Al Hilal with losses of 405 million euros, and Tottenham come fourth on 188 million.