More young footballers interested in Middle East move ahead of Saudi Arabia World Cup
There is growing interest among younger footballers to move to the Middle East, according to football agents who have spoken to Sky News.
Countries like Saudi Arabia, which is set to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, are investing so much money into the sport that young talent from the UK could live like Premier League footballers there, they have claimed.
Birmingham-born Brad Young now lives and plays football in Saudi.
The 21-year-old left the Welsh first tier to join Saudi Pro League (SPL) side Al-Orobah in September and said the league is among the world’s top five.
“All the big players are starting to come here,” Brad told Sky News.
“The league is growing and obviously it’s good for me to get that learning experience off the experienced players.”
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The SPL boasts a number of high-profile names and superstars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar.
“These players are all experienced and they know their stuff like when you make runs off the back of defenders, they block you, they’ve got that experience.
“So, you have to regroup and learn how to play against them. You’ve got to think smart and think better.”
Brad spoke to Sky News from the back of a taxi as he returned home from a quick holiday in Dubai, a Premier League footballer’s playground where you can stroke lions for a photo and jet ski around “the world’s only 7-star hotel”.
“Obviously it’s luxurious. They’re pumping a lot of money into the league,” Brad said.
“They want the league to get to the Premier League’s standard. I think it will.”
Brad said his move was more than just for financial reasons.
“The money side is good but if you look at the standard of the league and the players of the league, it’s probably among the top five leagues.
“I didn’t just do it for the money. I did it for the experience of living abroad, to better my career.
“If I can establish myself in this league, I can establish myself anywhere around the world.”
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Spencer Fearon and Liam Bowes are both London-based sports agents.
They told Sky News football in the Middle East will be more successful than it was in China where the Chinese Super League was seen as President Xi Jinping’s attempt to turn the country into a footballing nation.
Spencer Fearon and Liam Bowes – London-based sports agents.
“It’s not like China,” Fearon explained.
“I think Saudi Arabia’s focus is on bringing over younger players. Not only are you getting the financial rewards where you can look after your family, but you also get the profile.
“They’ve now got the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia and I think we’ll just continue to see the investment and the influx of players and the development of younger players as well.”
Some estimates say that just 180 out of 1.5 million players in organised youth football will ever make it as a Premier League pro. That translates to just 0.012%.
Ricky-Jade Jones, striker at Peterborough United in League One, has been playing football since he was nine. He said footballers in the top leagues need to have options.
“You can never think you’ve made it because everything can change just like that,” he warned.
“It’s always about having a plan B, something to fall back on.
“We’ve seen a lot of young players going there now and it’s a different pathway. It’s a different project. As you can see the league is growing and you never know. That could be up there with the Premier League soon.”
A man’s body has been recovered from an area of flooding in North Yorkshire, police have said, as major incidents have been declared in two counties.
The body was found near Intake Lane in Beal, close to Eggborough and Knottingley.
Police believe the man may have entered the water in the last 24 to 48 hours.
Follow the latest on the weather
North Yorkshire Police said: “Despite extensive enquiries, including with our colleagues in Humberside and West Yorkshire Police, we have been unable to identify him.
“He was found without any identification or personal belongings.”
The man was also described as white, in his early 50s to 60s, with light brown short hair and stubble.
He was wearing brown walking boots, blue denim jeans, a multicoloured knitted jumper and possibly a dark green waterproof coat, police added.
It comes after Leicestershire and Lincolnshire both declared a major incident in response to the extreme weather hitting the UK and Ireland.
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Leicestershire Fire and Rescue was the first emergency service in England to declare an incident and said it had received more than 200 calls since Monday morning over widespread flooding.
Crews had found cars stuck in floodwater and evacuated residents from flooded homes and rising waters, with some 17 people rescued as of 1.45pm.
The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum declared a major incident shortly after, and noted that emergency services had rescued children who were stranded at a school in Edenham.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has three yellow weather warnings – each for snow and ice – in effect throughout Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Pic: Met Office
A warning covering the west and north coast of Scotland – reaching into Inverness and Aberdeen – will last until midday, while an alert in effect for all of Northern Ireland will last until 11am.
The Met Office has also issued a warning covering Wales and parts of northwest England on Monday evening, moving into southwest England, the Midlands and parts of southern England in the early hours of Tuesday.
On Wednesday, a yellow weather warning for snow is in effect across the south of England – stretching from just above Truro in Cornwall to Canterbury in Kent – from 9am to midnight.
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