“I don’t care about Saudi, and neither do I care about China”

The disruption of Saudi Arabia in the transfer market “it does not worry” the director of MLS, Don Garberwhich was estimated on Sunday, due to the presentation of Leo Messi in between miamithat the North American championship is not “threatened” by the financial power of the Emirates.

“I saw what happened in China and I wasn’t worried, just like I wasn’t worried about what was happening in Saudi Arabia, quite the opposite,” Garber said, referring to the huge Chinese spending in between 2015 and 2017. Championship. which, by the way, is back to normal range.

The signing of Messi from Miami is the latest arrival of a big name in MLS. Favorite destination for soccer stars at the end of their careers (Thierry Henry, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo, etc.), however, the North American championship must face the recent offensive of Saudi clubs.

The transfer of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo or more Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema in particular, confirms the new appeal of the oil-rich country. From there to overcome the MLS? Not for Don Garber. “The fact that we can expand the power and influence of professional football around the world presents an opportunity for all of us in emerging markets,” he said.

“You know, it’s not just about Europe. It’s about here. So I didn’t feel intimidated by that. Besides, it’s just another element in the complicated business that we have, and we’ll get through it.” ours. Everything will be fine for us,” he said. According to Garber, the decision by Messi, who has received good offers to play in the Saudi league, is a sign of the continued rise of MLS. “When the greatest player in history does MLS being their league of choice, I think it’s a testament to where they are and where they’re going in the coming years,” he said.