The first edition of the AFC Champions League Elite starts on Monday, featuring stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Riyad Mahrez aiming to help their Saudi Arabian clubs achieve success in Asia.
Teams like Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli are considered top contenders for the final next May, which aligns with the Saudi Pro League’s (SPL) goal of becoming one of the leading leagues globally.
In the summer transfer windows of 2023 and 2024, SPL clubs spent over $1 billion to sign top players from major European leagues.
Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves joined Al-Hilal in 2023 from Wolverhampton Wanderers of the English Premier League for about $60 million. He believes the SPL has high quality.
“I have said this a few times — if you compare my data from English football to Saudi football, I run even more, but with the difference that I run in 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit),” Neves said after helping Portugal win 2-1 against Scotland in the Nations League, with Ronaldo scoring the winning goal.
“I am in good shape physically. Both Cristiano and I proved today that Saudi football has quality.”
Al-Hilal, the most successful team in Asia with four continental titles, begins its campaign against Al-Rayyan from Qatar. Ronaldo, who has won five UEFA Champions Leagues, has yet to win a major trophy with Al-Nassr and will face Iraq’s Al-Shorta, while Mahrez and Al-Ahli will host Persepolis from Iran in Jeddah.
In addition to the star players, the giants from Jeddah and Riyadh benefit from the fact that from the quarterfinal stage onwards, all games will be held in Saudi Arabia.
The Elite version of the tournament has replaced the AFC Champions League as the top competition on the continent.
