Cristiano Ronaldo gave the starting shot in January for a stream of top players who exchanged Europe for Saudi Arabia. With Neymar now also arriving at Al-Hilal, it is bursting with top players in the Saudi Pro League. An overview.
Ronaldo has been wearing the shirt of Al-Nassr since last season, where he got strong teammates this summer. So exchanged Sadio Mane Bayern Munich for the Saudi millions and also chose Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic for the big money.
But it certainly doesn’t stop there. Sergey Milinkovic-Savic coveted for years by numerous European top clubs, but the 28-year-old midfielder now plays for Al-Hilal. The club that previously tried to seduce Kylian Mbappé also stole Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea) and Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers) in the Premier League. The arrival of Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) was a new hit for the club from capital Riyadh.
Real Madrid icon Karim Benzema has been playing for Ittihad Club since this summer, where he recently joined a former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho as a teammate. Also N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) plays for that club. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) wears Al-Ettifaq’s shirt.
AL-Ahli also pulled out the wallet this summer and put millions on the table for the Champions League winner Riyadh Mahrez, who left Manchester City after six years. He plays with it Frank Kessie (Barcelona FC), Allan Saint Maximin (Newcastle United), Edward Mendy (Chelsea) and Robert Firmino (Liverpool).
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Kylian Mbappé recently said ‘no’ to a staggering offer from the Saudi club Al-Hilal, with an annual salary of 700 million. But he is an exception, because many choose the cash. Worrying? “There comes a point when fans start to wonder: do I still want to be part of this?”
Are there still Dutch people active? Yep, three to be exact. Aschraf El Mahdioui (Al-Taawoun), Adam Maher (Damac FC) and Virgil Misidjan (Al-Tai) can prepare themselves this season for meetings with players who have given color to top international football in recent years. The Venlo-born Moroccan defender Driess Saddiki (Abha) is also under contract in Saudi Arabia, while the Swedish striker Samuel Armenteros exchanges Heracles for the Saudi Al-Kholood.
Annual salaries
With a contract of 200 million euros per year, Ronaldo is the absolute top earner in Saudi Arabia, but the other players also put their scribble under a contract with an astronomical salary. Below is an overview of the highest paid players in the league.
• Cristiano Ronaldo (200 million a year)
• Neymar (80 million a year*)
• Karim Benzema (120 million per year)
• N’Golo Kanté (100 million per year)
• Riyad Mahrez (50 million a year)
• Sadio Mané (40 million a year)
• Jordan Henderson (40 million a year)
• Fabinho (30 million per year)
• Kalidou Koulibaly (30 million per year)
* Different amounts are mentioned when it comes to Neymar’s salary, but the usually reliable L’Équipe reports that the Brazilian will earn eighty million annually
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