Mané, Firmino and Henderson could be back in the Champions League, see how they could make it happen

For many, a move to the Arab league means giving up top-level football, but that may not be entirely true

16/08/2023, 11:17 PM +00:00

Since Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave the Premier League to join the Saudi Arabian league, a wave of great players have followed in his footsteps and this summer, the Saudi Pro League has burst onto the European transfer market and our Liverpool has witnessed this, as we have lost two players who were essential to Jürgen Klopp's scheme, such as Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.

However, the list of names that have arrived to a Saudi Pro League team is huge, and includes great players such as Karim Benzema, Neymar, N'Golo Kanté, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and many more, as Saudi Arabia's intention is to make their league grow exponentially and turn it into one with a good level of football. Even Cristiano Ronaldo himself said that today they are at the level of leagues like the Eredivisie.

For many, going to play in Saudi Arabia has more to do with economics than sports and they are right, currently there are not many sporting reasons to opt for the Middle Eastern league, but the intention of the directors of the Saudi Pro League and even the Saudi Arabian government is to make that change, and that is how they also attract players to join the clubs.

The former Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, has assured this since a few days ago he said that in addition to the financial offer, one of the reasons he had to accept to join Al-Ettifaq was that he considered that it is a sports project in development and that he would like to be part of the growth that they aim to have and that could even make former players of our Liverpool as Henderson himself, Mané, Firmino and Fabinho, can return to play in the Champions League.

How would this be possible?

According to the Italian media Calcio e Finanza, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is in talks with UEFA so that a Saudi Pro League team can play in the Champions League from 2025. The idea would be through a wildcard that would be awarded to the Saudi Pro League champion.