The desert kingdom's vast Pro League investment aims to turn it into a world leader of the sport.
Middle East business correspondent, Riyadh
A volley of fireworks, followed by a drone show projecting Neymar's face, lit up Riyadh's sky as the Brazilian forward walked onto the pitch wearing the club's traditional dark blue kit. Since then, a host of prominent names including Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, Jordan Henderson, N'Golo Kante, have swapped European leagues for the Saudi Pro League.
"While we have the commitment of getting support until however long it takes to achieve our goals, it is important for us to make ourselves commercially viable so that we are responsible for our own financial growth and not completely dependent on government capital," Mr Nohra told the BBC.The world's biggest oil exporter has invested billions of dollars in sport, including revamping the Saudi Pro league, Formula One and the lucrative LIV Golf.
The second key objective behind Saudi Arabia's spending spree is that it is part of a broader push to reinvent its economy before oil revenues start dwindling. Currently, they make up for more than 40% of the Saudi gross domestic product, or GDP.
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