Despite the heralded arrival of Lionel Messi, MLS stars are now the latest players to be courted by the lucrative Saudi Pro League where Cristiano Ronaldo plies his trade
Al-Fateh SC have signed All-Star Lucas Zelarayan after Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the Saudi Pro League was âbetter than the MLS’ once Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami.
Colombus Crew star Zelarayan is switching from the United States to Saudi Arabia despite enjoying a fine 2023 season. The Armenian scored 10 goals and added six assists in just 20 games for Colombus, but he has decided to head to the Middle East in an alarming blow to MLS.
Zelarayan – who departs the Crew as the franchise sits sixth in the Eastern Conference with 36 points after 23 matches – scored 42 goals and made 23 assists in 107 appearances with Colombus after joining from Tigres UANL in 2020. He led the club to win the MLS Cup in his debut season, where the Argentina-born midfielder was named MLS Cup MVP.
The 31-year-old was considered one of the most exciting players in MLS, as he has scored 18 goals from outside the box since 2019. It was one thing for Saudi Pro League clubs to use their financial might to sign big-name stars from Europe, but alarm bells will be ringing regarding after Zelarayan – an MVP candidate this season – followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia.