Chronicle Editor
IN the marble-white offices of Riyadh’s opulent royal palaces, the only man with a worry in the world in recent weeks had been Sir Keir Starmer. The Prime Minister flew in to meet the crown prince on Monday, eagerly rattling his tin for investment and describing his “number one mission” to grow the UK. No need for such hustling on the other side of the table for Mohammed bin Salman, the controversial de facto leader for whom life has never been so sweet.
A seismic week awaited Saudi Arabia in which there was little else to do but count down the hours to being crowned World Cup hosts. No rival bid, no worries and no need for any last-minute canvassing for the Saudi 2034 team building, nearby the crown prince’s billion pound base. Hammad Albalawi, head of the Saudi operation, was so clear of duties that he could spend much of the last fortnight giving visiting dignitaries personal tours of a purpose-built pavilion housing renderings of the space-age new stadiums.
Fireworks went off in Riyadh as soon as the Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, secured his official approval via a chorus of claps from more than 200 nations.
But as parties on the streets got into full swing, videos of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema got the kingdom buzzing. “It’s going to be the best World Cup ever,” beamed Ronaldo to his 114 million followers.
It was quite the statement from a man who will also likely front the 2030 version part-hosted by his Portuguese homeland. “It’s amazing. The infrastructure, the stadiums, the conditions for the fans, and everything. The Saudis are very good people… I’m happy to be part of this success for the country, and I will be here for sure to see the World Cup.”
Benzema had shared similar sentiments via official channels and later word spread that Neymar Jnr would also be joining the official celebrations in person. For those behind the scenes, Wednesday was the culmination of a carefully executed project to weaponise the star talents of the Saudi Pro League. The optics – particularly in the siloed world of social media algorithms –could barely have been better for the local population as stellar names led the victory lap.
A drip feed of star-studded videos singing the merits of Saudi had been posted in recent weeks, successfully drowning out criticism coming their way from the West.
Ronaldo, Riyad Mahrez and Yaya Toure all donned Saudi 2034 hoodies and were pictured enjoying kickabouts with local youngsters.
“Saudi 2034 is inspiring so many young footballers with the promise of #GrowingTogether and it was a pleasure to meet some of those kids who are dreaming of welcoming the world to Saudi Arabia in 2034,” Ronaldo then posted to his 114 million followers on X.
In other videos, Benzema directly challenges critics to visit Saudi and see the country for themselves. Neymar, a face of Brazil’s 2014 World Cup, even risks the wrath of his motherland by speculating the country of his new paymasters could host the best tournament ever.
The Telegraph
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