After stocking up on big-name players, Saudi Arabia's ambitious soccer league starts Friday
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FILE - Saudi soccer team Al Ittihad player Karim Benzema greets Saudi fans during his presentation ceremony at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 8, 2023. The Saudi Arabian soccer league kicks off Friday Aug. 11, 2023 after a spending spree on players grabbed the worlds attention in the European summer offseason. Now the actual games start and the appeal of watching newly recruited Champions League winners like Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez who have followed the January trailblazer Cristiano Ronaldo into unfamiliar surroundings will be tested. (AP Photo/File)FILE - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 24, 2019. The Saudi Arabian soccer league kicks off Friday Aug. 11, 2023 after a spending spree on players grabbed the worlds attention in the European summer offseason. Hundreds of millions of dollars from the kingdoms vast oil wealth were spent to supercharge the state-backed Saudi Pro Leagues ambitions of being a global player. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool, File)FILE - Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo, right, fights for the ball during the Saudi Pro League match between Al Ettifaq FC and Al Nassr FC at Mrsool Park Stadium, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2023. The Saudi Arabian soccer league kicks off Friday Aug. 11, 2023 after a spending spree on players grabbed the worlds attention in the European summer offseason. Now the actual games start and the appeal of watching newly recruited Champions League winners like Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez who have followed the January trailblazer Cristiano Ronaldo into unfamiliar surroundings will be tested. (AP Photo/File)
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FILE - Saudi soccer team Al Ittihad player Karim Benzema greets Saudi fans during his presentation ceremony at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 8, 2023. The Saudi Arabian soccer league kicks off Friday Aug. 11, 2023 after a spending spree on players grabbed the worlds attention in the European summer offseason. Now the actual games start and the appeal of watching newly recruited Champions League winners like Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez who have followed the January trailblazer Cristiano Ronaldo into unfamiliar surroundings will be tested. (AP Photo/File)
