“I think in five to 10 years the Saudi Pro League can become the biggest league in the world” - Christian Vieri

Ahead of the EA Sports FC Supercup final between Inter Milan and Napoli on Monday night at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh, Lega Serie A organised a padel exhibition match between some of the greats of Italian football.

Alessandro Del Piero, Christian Vieri, Ciro Ferrara, Marco Materazzi, Vincent Candela, Luigi Di Biagio and Cristian Brocchi all swapped boots and footballs for racquets and tennis balls for some game time at Padel In in Riyadh.

And while Del Piero may be better known for his free kicks than backhands, and Vieri was better at finding the net in football than getting it over the net at padel, the legends had a great time.

Before they headed off for the big match between Inter and Napoli – which both sides reached with 3-0 wins over Lazio and Fiorentina respectively last week – the legends had their say on the final and football in Saudi Arabia.

In 1999, Vieri became the world's most expensive player when Inter paid Lazio €43 million for his goalscoring exploits. With an influx of big-name players moving to Saudi Arabia, Vieri believes it is only a matter of time before the Saudi Pro League becomes the biggest league in the world.

Vieri said: “If the Saudi government wants to become the biggest league in the world, then I think in five to 10 years they can become the biggest league in the world. They have the money, they have the structures, and they have started to build (new) stadiums and training facilities.

“It’s not going to take three days because they’ve only started but you’ve got one of the biggest players that’s played soccer, Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 54 goals last year, and he’s amazing, and he’s 38-years-old. He never complains, plays every game, takes care of his body in an incredible way – so for the Saudi league, you couldn’t have a better player to promote your league. I think this is a very important league and it can be a very important league in future.”

Del Piero, considered one of the greatest players in Italian football history and a legendary World Cup winner in 2006, is equally impressed with the rapid progression of football in the Kingdom.

Del Piero said: “There’s been a huge change in a positive way and improvement in every aspect, and this is amazing. It’s unpredictable what will happen, in a good way. We need to see how many other players come and the quality of the players. Then we will see the results of the clubs and the results of the national team.

“The investments are in one direction so the projection should be going up every year. Last year was a huge year with the number and the quality of the players coming to Saudi. It was unbelievable.

“In my era, Serie A was the centre of the world. Every best player went there. Now everything has changed in the past few years. Borders are open and it’s good for football.”

Inter, last season’s UEFA Champions League runners up, are going for their second successive Supercoppa Italiana triumph in Riyadh, having beaten city rivals AC Milan in the Saudi capital last year. This success has increased the appeal of the club in Saudi Arabia and across the wider region – which Vieri believes is huge.

Vieri said: “Players play soccer to win finals, to win championships. Coming to Riyadh, I think it’s amazing. I think exporting our brand to other places is important, we can’t just stay in Italy. The whole world needs to see you play. It’s going to be a good game between two big clubs and Inter are playing fantastically this year.

“They won 3-0 last year, and I was here watching the game. That’s the importance of the brand – going around the world and winning games and showing up well. It’s so important – Inter have to play these games and then the brand becomes bigger every year.”

With Napoli the reigning Serie A champions, however, Inter face a tough test in the final.

Legendary defender Ciro Ferrara won Serie A twice at the club – the second coming in 1990, the previous time they won the title before last season. He has his fingers crossed for Napoli success versus Inter in Riyadh.

Ferrara said: “It’s a very important competition but Napoli at this moment are going through a not-so-easy period, even if they had a very good semifinal result against Fiorentina. We are hoping this could be a very important boost for tonight. Finals are finals – so, it’s very difficult to say who will win because finals are a very special match.”

Of course, Ferrara won those league titles at Napoli playing alongside one of the most gifted players to ever play the beautiful game – Diego Maradona. When the Argentina No.10 passed away a few years ago, Napoli renamed their ground Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Ferrara said: “He means so much to so many, and he did so many important things. It was important to make this step for the city because of what Maradona did in the past for everybody.”

This edition of the Supercoppa Italiana is the fourth time the event is being held in Saudi Arabia. The tournament was first held in the country in 2019 when a goal from Ronaldo, now playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, earned Juventus a 1-0 win over AC Milan in Jeddah.

This year’s Supercoppa Italiana is also the first time the tournament has been expanded to four teams. While showing off the delights of Italian football, the tournament has also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s commitment and capability to host the very best international tournaments.

It has also bridged the gap between fans from different countries and showcased the country’s unique football culture to the world.

Interestingly, around 80% of Saudi Arabians either play, attend, or follow football and many support international – including Italian – clubs.

The Supercoppa Italiana’s new format mirrors that of the Supercopa de Espana, or Spanish Super Cup, which was also recently held in Saudi Arabia.

The tournament saw Spanish giants Real Madrid defeat Barcelona in the final in what was an incredible clash in Riyadh.

The Supercoppa Italiana final on Monday night in Riyadh is only a small part of the incredible sports story for Saudi Arabia in 2024. There are numerous high-profile sporting events scheduled to take place in the Kingdom, across various sports such as football, motorsport, tennis, esports, combat sports, golf, and equestrian.