How football players are leading 'cool war' between US, Saudi Arabia
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In the last year, more than 20 high-profile soccer players have joined Saudi Arabian clubs, not including Lionel Messi, who has instead signed with Inter Miami.
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Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi during a match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 19, 2023 (AP)
According to The Times, the "cool war" between the US and Saudi Arabia is being led by soccer players and Instagram posts.
Saudi Arabia's frantic rush to sign on soccer legends to play for the Kingdom most certainly has its benefits. At a time when Saudi Arabia was being condemned over its attacks on Yemen, the world paused and looked back at Saudi Arabia as a country where one of the greatest footballers resides and plays, after signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
In the last year, more than 20 other high-profile players have followed, including the Brazilian Neymar and Karim Benzema.
However, when the time came for Lionel Messi, 36, to retire from the European leagues, he turned down an offer from Saudi Arabia, signing with Inter Miami, the American team co-owned by David Beckham.
According to The Times, although Messi's reasons may be unknown, one very obvious difference between the US and Saudi Arabia is the afterparty that the Argentinian player is famous for.
Besides Messi, you also have the Beckhams, who recently became influential people in Florida, purchasing a $23 million Miami penthouse, and their son married actress Nicola Peltz in Palm Beach at the home of her billionaire father.
Victoria Beckham regularly touts her life on her Instagram account, which no doubt influences a broader audience. Messi has personally posted "This is what America tastes like.".
Recent events have shown the US and Saudi have suffered quite the fallout. It could be that the firm hands holding years of loyalty to the US are now dwindling down to a mere fist pump. Literally.
Saudi Arabia's acquisition of A-list players is not the only blow it has delivered while it presides on the cool kid table of regional powers.
A recent Bloomberg report suggested that the White House's adamant pursuit to broker a normalization agreement between the KSA and "Israel," is actually an attempt to curb Chinese influence in the Middle East, particularly after the latter's president personally oversaw the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
In exchange for assuring Saudi Arabia's security, Biden intends to limit the kingdom's ties with China, according to Bloomberg, likely by restricting technological connections and securing assurances that de facto ruler Mohammad bin Salman won't establish Chinese bases in the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia has adeptly leveraged this divergence, collaborating with Huawei, a company linked to the Chinese Communist Party in 2022.
The Saudis even explored pricing oil in yuan and engaged in discussions about a substantial arms deal with China.
Read more: SCMP: Saudi Arabia to deepen ties with Hong Kong
US officials have told Axios that the Biden administration wants to conclude its diplomatic effort with Saudi Arabia before Biden's agenda is consumed by the presidential election campaign. What this really might mean is that Biden, facing crushingly low approval ratings and questions over his own mental capacity, could be desperate to secure a significant accomplishment while in office.
Through their social media accounts and their status at the "cool table", stars now residing in Saudi Arabia and the US are now effectively acting as ambassadors for the countries they now live in, telling their fans that 'this is the place to be', allowing Riyadh and Washington to bolster their standing through their soft influence.
