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As Europe swings into the 2023-24 football season with one month left for the transfer window to close, it’s not just rival clubs but a country far outside Europe’s borders that’s being closely watched: Saudi Arabia. The kingdom, in the throes of its unique version of perestroika, has borrowed the example of regional frenemy Qatar and chosen football as a soft power force multiplier. The upshot has been some headline-grabbing summer signings — among them Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson — for the Saudi Pro League.
Unlike the US Major League Soccer
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