One coach in the Saudi Pro League has hit back at Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman, throwing shade at the Eredivisie in the process. Al Hilal manager Jorge Jesus is now in his second season during his second stint with the Saudi club. Last year, he guided the side to an undefeated campaign in the Saudi Pro League. Therefore, he is standing up for the league after Ronald Koeman said the Brazilian top flight is better than the Saudi top division. Jorge Jesus took it one step further to attack the Eredivisie, which he claimed is a worse league than the Saudi Pro League.
“Eredivisie is one of the weakest leagues in Europe,” Jorge Jesus said. “Koeman is in no position to make that kind of statement because he doesn’t know about the [Saudi Pro League]. There is no comparison. The SPL is stronger than Eredivisie.”
In recent seasons, the Saudi Pro League has made strides to bolster its soccer standing. That centers around bringing in stars from Europe, many past their primes. Consequently, clubs like Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ittihad have benefited. Al Hilal and Jorge Jesus have brought in players like Neymar, Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo and Kalidou Koulibaly in the last two seasons. Jorge Jesus would argue the talent in the Eredivisie is not as strong, citing its reputation as a selling league to other European elites.
In fairness, Koeman did not comment on the Eredivisie when speaking about the Saudi Pro League. The Dutch head coach did, however, call seven players from the Eredivisie into his most recent squad during the September international break. Those seven players came from four clubs within the Dutch top flight.
Comparing the Saudi Pro League and the Eredivisie
The argument in favor of the Saudi Pro League comes from the list of talent. In addition to the players on Al Hilal, the Saudi Pro League boasts the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney. Again, though these top talents are predominantly on the teams at the top of the table.
Holistically, it is challenging to compare leagues. The Opta World Rankings at least provide a means of comparison between international divisions. Earlier in 2024, Opta ranked the Eredivisie as the 15th strongest league in the world. That is below the likes of the Brasileirao, Liga MX and even Major League Soccer. By comparison, the Saudi Pro League was down to 26th in the world. It is between the top flights from Cyprus and Czechia, for reference.
In Jorge Jesus’s defense, some of the top teams in the Saudi Pro League are on the same level as those in the Eredivisie. His Al Hilal side is in the same area of the Opta Power Rankings as PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord. Al Nassr is also part of the top 100 clubs in the world based on current form. Yet, those Saudi sides are playing against teams far below the bottom teams in the Eredivisie, which hurts the overall balance of the league.
