Steve Calzada, the new executive director of Saudi al-hilal Club, believes that his experience with the leader will be exciting, given the great development of soccer in Saudi Arabia.
“When Al-Hilal reached out to me last August, they explained the project to me, and I was convinced, and I could not refuse the offer,” Calzada said in remarks to the Spanish newspaper Marka on Thursday.
He added: “It was hard for me to leave a team like Manchester City, but I chose to leave for another project that I bet would work.”
He added: “The Saudi project started with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, this event gave the project a major boost, and then continued with the signing of world names, which translates the great ambition in Saudi Arabia.”
“What is happening is not a bubble, what is happening here is very different from what happened in China, and this is due to the great popularity of football in Saudi Arabia, we see the fans filling the stands, and there is a clear plan to walk in this program.”
He added: “Of course we don’t have unlimited funds, we have a budget and we have to commit to it, and that’s what the Governing Council asks me,
This is the same as in Europe, I have very clear objectives that are not different from how I worked in other European teams “
He concluded: “Saudi Arabia will not be the cemetery of stars, look at Ruben Neves, Savic, Mitrovic, Malcom, and other names, they have chosen to play in Saudi Arabia at the age of 20, which means that they have the intention of continuing and delivering all
what they have “.
