The Saudi news media occasionally reports a new sports agreement between Saudi Arabia and a new foreign club athlete. The offer to give Lionel Messi a half-billion dollar deal in exchange for a two-year contract is possibly the new, old offer. Specialized institutions regarded the incredible offer as the biggest in the Gulf region and the entire globe.
Developed nations are interested in recruiting exceptional talent worldwide as one of their strategies, but each nation uses different metrics to strive for continued progress for its future generations. But why would a third-world country like Saudi Arabia, devoid of industry and technology, spend so much of its millions of dollars on festivals or on players who do not add any value to their reality or future?
However, people frequently wonder why Saudi Arabia is not investing these millions of dollars—which come to over billions—into manufacturing, agriculture, artificial intelligence, or other future technological fields in a way that will make it a productive nation and exporter rather than a consumer nation.
It is a fact that neither the Saudi people nor the confused specialist can truly answer this question; the only one with knowledge of the answer is the Saudi Crown Prince, who assumed leadership of the nation amid the ongoing absence of his father, King Salman, and the removal of the previous Crown Prince.
Does anyone recall? The core of MBS’s Vision 2030 strategic plan was the city of NEOM’s investment in technology and artificial intelligence. Years went by, and MBS made no progress in any area but entertainment; even the city of NEOM was unable to complete it.
Not too long ago, MBS created a $200 million fund to invest in regional and global technology startups. That is roughly half of the $500 million estimated price tag for the Messi acquisition. Still unanswered is: What benefit did the Saudi people receive from hundreds of millions of dollars in sports deals, wooing celebrities and professional wrestlers?
