Ibrahim Hassan, director of the Egypt national team, says that Salah should stay in Europe or go to Saudi Arabia and forget the idea of MLS. As he put it: “In MLS, he would be too far away from the spotlight. People would no longer remember Salah, just like I no longer remember [Lionel] Messi now. I do not even try to watch him.”
The fact is that, in my opinion, Salah no longer has space at the very top of European football. At the real top, he no longer has the level for it and, if he were to go to a mid-level club, he would ask for a salary that is far too high for what he currently offers. It is not worth it. So, if he is not willing to lower his salary, the path has to be an alternative market: Saudi Arabia, the United States or Egypt.
What Ibrahim says about MLS also applies to Egypt, and even more strongly. Because in MLS, people still know some things, there is still some media attention. In Egypt, people basically only talk about Al Ahly’s dominance, both domestically and continentally.
If it were me, I would also prefer Saudi Arabia over MLS. And there Ibrahim is not wrong when he talks about being “far from the spotlight”. But he completely exaggerates when he brings Messi into it. Wherever Messi is, there is attention. Whatever he does, good or bad, generates an audience. That is why he is the face of MLS, just like Cristiano is the face of Saudi football. Those two will always bring that.
What really changes is the rest of the league. The other clubs matter, who is there matters. Lloris and Son went to Los Angeles and almost nobody knows how they are playing. The same applies to Reus, Muller, Zaha and other names that were once talked about all the time, but that today many people treat as if they have disappeared. In the Saudi Pro League, you know who is there. Especially in the top four, with a few exceptions, there are far more relevant names. And that brings more attention, more audience.
As I said, I am not talking about Inter Miami or Al Nassr, because those are followed worldwide. But the rest of the teams in both leagues have a clear difference in terms of names and impact. And on that point, Ibrahim Hassan is right.
Now, of course, he exaggerated to become a headline. Because nobody in football “forgets” Messi. The world knows perfectly well what he still generates.
Conclusion
Ibrahim Hassan is right in one part, but he ruined the quote by exaggerating. The Saudi Pro League has more spotlight than MLS and that is difficult to debate. If I were Salah, I would go to the Saudi Pro League. But that decision will also depend on the club he chooses, because outside of four or five options, it is basically the same as falling into the void of irrelevance.