Ronaldo s 500 million contract ends! Why can t Saudi gold-dollar football keep superstars?

"Two and a half years, $500 million, 0 championship. "When this set of data is in front of you, what will you think of? Today, Riyadh victory is about to officially announce the departure of Ronaldo, and this "sky-high marriage" that caused a sensation around the world ended with regret. As one of the most expensive contracts in football history, what exactly did Ronaldo’s Saudi journey leave for Asian football? What fatal shortcomings of Jinyuan football have been exposed?

The business abacus behind the sky-high contract

When Ronaldo arrived in Riyadh in 2023, the contract with an annual salary of US$200 million shocked the world. But what is little known is that only 30% of them are football salaries and 70% are image endorsement fees. The PIF's plan for the Saudi sovereign wealth fund is very clear: to use Ronaldo's global influence to endorse the "Vision 2030".

data shows that after Ronaldo joined, the number of fans of social media soared by 12 million, and the number of countries that the number of countries that were broadcasted on the game surged from 37 to 137. The copyright fees for the Saudi league tripled as a result, and commercial sponsorship revenue increased by nearly $200 million. This perfectly interprets the "star effect" - the exposure of Ronaldo's training dynamics is equivalent to the advertising delivery of the Saudi Tourism Bureau for half a year.

The system shortcomings exposed by the champions

However, business success cannot hide the embarrassment of competition. Although Ronaldo has delivered a terrifying data of 0.88 goals per game, the team has been missing for two consecutive years. The reason is that the Saudi team has a clear gap with Europe in terms of youth training system, medical team, tactical literacy, etc. After a certain game, Ronaldo publicly complained: "Some teammates here don't even look at the defensive position map. "

What is more interesting is the signing strategy. When the Victory team spent 320 million euros to form the "All-Star" lineup, the Crescent team invested 40% of its budget in the data analysis system and youth training academy. This difference is directly reflected in the AFC Champions League venue - this season's new moon advances to the finals, and the winning group stage is eliminated. The critical point of

Golden Dollar football has reached

C Ronaldo's departure is no accident. As Saudi Arabia gradually tightens its football investment (total league investment in 2024 fell by 28% year-on-year), clubs have begun to re-evaluate their superstar strategies. Sports economist Arcadi pointed out: "When the broadcast share cannot cover 35% of the player's salary, this model is unsustainable. "

But this journey is not completely worthless. At least it proves that the operating rules of the football world have never changed - superstars can bring traffic, and the system can win the championship. Just like Ronaldo said in his farewell video: "I ignited the fire, and now more people need to add fuel to the fire. "

When Messi won the League Cup in the United States, Ronaldo won the Saudis without any gains. This comparison may be the most vivid fable of contemporary football. Who will be the next superstar to land in Saudi Arabia? Can TA break this curse? The message area is waiting for your insights.