The 26-year-old popular scorer travels to the east at a sky-high price! The Serie A Golden Boots refuses to switch to Saudi Arabia, money or ambition?

European football has been hit by the gold and dollar storm again! According to exclusive information from the authoritative Swiss journalist Sacha Tavolerie, Nigerian striker Victor Osmeen has reached a comprehensive agreement with Saudi giant Riyadh Crescent, and the two sides will sign a three-year super contract with an annual salary of US$35 million. The 26-year-old Serie A Golden Boot winner gave up the mainstream European league and switched to Saudi Arabia to make gold during the golden period of his career, causing fierce controversy in football.

From Serie A champion to Saudi Arabia's new favorite, Osmeen, who is 1.86 meters tall, can be regarded as a template for modern centers. In 2020, he transferred from Ligue 1 Lille to Naples for a sky-high price of 77.5 million euros, quickly becoming the hottest scorer in Serie A. In the 2022-23 season, he scored 26 league goals in a single season, not only winning the Golden Boot, but also leading Naples to regain the Serie A championship after 33 years. Germany's turnaround price once soared to 120 million euros, and was hailed by fans as "New Drogba".

However, there are cracks behind the glamorous data. Due to differences in contract renewal, he was publicly turned against the management, was punished internally for absent from training many times, and social media mocked the club's official account... A series of controversial events completely broke down Osmayen's relationship with Naples. This season, he was loaned to Galatasaray of the Turkish Super League. Despite 37 goals and 8 assists in 41 games, Premier League giants have always been discouraged by their "brain" attributes. Saudi Arabia spent $120 million to lock in the future Riyadh new moon's quote can be called a "dimensionality reduction strike": the total salary of the three-year contract exceeds $100 million. If the bonus is included, Osmayen can earn up to $120 million (approximately RMB 870 million). Compared with his current 70 million euros, this contract directly raised his income level to the level of Messi and Ronaldo.

What is more interesting is the trading timing. Osmaine's contract with Naples is only one year left, and the termination fee is as high as 75 million euros. Saudi Arabia chose to take action at this time, not only avoiding the bidding melee with European giants, but also completing major signings with relatively "cost-performance ratio". It is reported that Riyadh Crescent plans to make Osmeon form a frontcourt trident with Benzema and Neves, aiming at the AFC Champions League championship.

Character determines destiny? The professional crossroads of talented shooters

Osmaine's transfer is by no means a simple "money game". The 26-year-old was the golden age to compete for the Champions League and the Golden Ball Awards, and he became another top striker who rushed to Saudi Arabia at his peak after Neymar and Mitrovic. This choice exposes the cruel logic of professional football: when personality defects become obstacles to entering the wealthy family, huge salary becomes the most attractive compensation.

"His explosive power is enough to tear through any defense, but the locker room needs a leader, not a bomb." An anonymous Premier League scout admitted that Osmaine's training attitude was capricious and frequent conflicts with the coach made potential buyers such as Manchester United and Chelsea finally retreat. In contrast, the Saudi League not only provides sky-high contracts, but also is extremely tolerant of the stars' off-court behavior - this hits the pain point of Osmayen's team.

Golden Dollar Football 3.0 Era: Saudi Arabia is rewriting the rules of the game

From Ronaldo, Benzema to Osmeen, the Saudi league's signing strategy has quietly upgraded. In the early days, he pursued outdated superstars to earn traffic, and now he specialized in the years of playing, and even dared to compete with the Champions League team head-on. According to statistics from the Transfer Market, Saudi club spent 960 million euros to sign up in the summer window of 2023, and its net expenditure exceeded the Premier League and reached the top of the world.

What is more worthy of attention is that Saudi capital is building a "star attractive flywheel". When players like Osmaine who are at their peak join, the improvement of the league's competitive level will attract more audiences and sponsors, which will further expand salary and transfer fees. Once this cycle is formed, mid-range teams in the five major leagues may completely lose their competitiveness.

The ultimate game between money and glory: how should players choose?

Osmayen's case tear opens the secret wounds of professional football. On the one hand, Saudi Arabia has offered the opportunity to earn enough wealth for a lifetime in three years, and on the other hand, it is the slim hope of staying in Europe to impact personal honor. At the age of 26, he chose the former. This may explain why Saudi Arabia has succeeded repeatedly: not all players are willing to put competitive achievements in economic interests like Haaland and Mbappe.

"Football is split into two parallel worlds." The well-known commentator Carragher pointed out that the Saudi League uses money to create a "utopia" that is separated from the traditional competitive system. Here, it does not care about the UEFA Champions League points or the ranking of the gold ball, but only the increase in bank account numbers is calculated. For Osmaines, when the locker room doors of European giants slowly closed, Saudi Arabia's petrodollars happened to illuminate another road to wealth freedom.

Conclusion:

Osmaine's eastward advance is not only a major turning point in his personal career, but also a microcosm of the process of football capitalization. When the $120 million contract is in front of us, the so-called "pride of European football" seems vulnerable. Perhaps one day in the future, people will recall the career of the Nigerian shooter and will not remember which jersey he wore, but they will definitely be amazed at the fantasy deal created by Saudi Arabia's gold dollar.