Why does the Saudi Pro League want to sign Mohamed Salah?
«Exceptional players only.»
That was the bar set by Michael Emenalo, the former Chelsea director now in charge of all the transfers in the wildly expanding, free-spending Saudi Pro League.
«I would love to have Kylian Mbappe here.» Emenalo continued. «I would love to have Harry Kane here.» As Liverpool can attest, Saudi Arabia's top flight would very much like Mohamed Salah there as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar already call the Saudi Pro League home, so why is Emenalo so intent on adding Salah to his roster?
The obvious answer is that Salah emphatically fits the bill of Emenalo's «exceptional players only» policy. Liverpool's 31-year-old forward finished fifth in last year's Ballon d'Or and scored 30 goals across all competitions. Liverpool's fifth-highest goalscorer of all time became just the second player in the club's history to exceed 20 goals in six consecutive seasons last term.
Aside from a guarantee of goals, Salah offers a brand almost unmatched in the Middle Eastern market. In Egypt's 2018 presidential election, more than one million voters spoiled their ballots — twice the figure the opposition's Moussa Mustafa Moussa acquired. Many of those voided votes had Salah's name scrawled in place of either candidate. «Mohamed Salah is really important because he is a symbol,» Mohamed Farag Amer, head of Egypt’s parliamentary youth and sports committee said, «like Tutankhamun, like the pyramids.»
Yet, Mo-mania is not limited to the borders of his native Egypt. In late August, Al Ittihad fans were already wearing Salah masks during a game against Al Riyadh.
Both Benzema and Sadio Mane, Salah's former Liverpool teammate, have spoken of the religious appeal of moving to Saudi Arabia. «It's important for
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