There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to turn Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to the Al Hilal, who practically changed the club's history.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
In fact, they have no shortage of money. In Saudi Arabia, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the country's main sovereign wealth fund and, through the Ministry of Sports, it distributes money to the clubs.
The initial contribution to the creation of the sovereign wealth fund came from oil, Saudi Arabia's main export product. However, the crown prince and ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, has always sought to increasingly diversify the country's economy and, with the expansion of the PIF's portfolio, it now has investments in companies in the areas of infrastructure, energy, pharmaceuticals, among others.
Under the prince's rule, the PIF stopped being a sovereign wealth fund and became a global investment vehicle, with billion-dollar bets on technology and other companies.
Now, whether they do all this just because they love football or if there are other shady interests behind it... we will never know.