The landscape of club football in Saudi Arabia is changing drastically. The Saudi Pro League has turned out to be a new favourite destination for big names in the sport of football. Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr might have surprised many, but now, with other players heading in the same direction, that choice might not look that surprising. Ronaldo now no longer remains the only Ballon d’Or winner to have played in Saudi Arabia, with his former teammate Karim Benzema also signing for Al-Ittihad. Interestingly, more players have been linked with moves to clubs in the Saudi Pro League. The latest of these big names to move to Saudi Arabian football is Neymar, who joined Al-Hilal from PSG.  Neymar Jr Joins Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Pro League After Signing for Al-Hilal From PSG.

After Benzema’s move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad was been completed, N’Golo Kante also joined the reigning Saudi Pro League champs. Benzema was officially unveiled as a player for Al-Ittihad and the former Real Madrid man would earn a mammoth €200 million per season with him having penned a two-year deal. In this article, we shall take a look at the list of players who have/would be plying their trade in the Middle Eastern country.  Meanwhile, several other big names have joined the big-money league and the list includes star players like Sadio Mane, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Roberto Firmino, Marcelo Brozovic, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and several others. Saudi Arabian Journalist Gifts Fabinho A Rolex Watch After the Brazilian Star's Good Performance in Al-Ittihad vs Al-Raed Saudi Pro League 2023 Match, Video Goes Viral!

List of Top Football Players Playing in Saudi Arabia

               Player                    Club      Year of Joining
Cristiano Ronaldo Al-Nassr 2023
Karim Benzema Al-Ittihad 2023
N’Golo Kante Al-Ittihad 2023
Ever Banega Al-Shabab 2020
David Ospina Al-Nassr 2022
Kalidou Koulibaly Al-Hilal 2023
Ruben Neves Al-Hilal 2023
Edouard Mendy Al-Ahli 2023
Marcelo Brozovic Al-Nassr 2023
Allan Saint Maximin Al-Ahli 2023
Riyad Mahrez Al-Ahli 2023
Moussa Dembele Al-Ettifaq 2023
Jordan Henderson Al-Ettifaq 2023
Malcom Al-Hilal 2023
Seko Fofana Al-Nassr 2023
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic Al-Hilal 2023
Roberto Firmino Al-Ahli 2023
Jota Al-Ittihad 2023
Jack Hendry Al-Ettifaq 2023
Alex Telles Al-Nassr 2023
Sadio Mane Al-Nassr 2023
Fabinho Al-Ittihad 2023
Frank Kessie Al-Ahli 2023
Neymar Jr Al-Hilal 2023

While these players have already officially joined/are playing for Saudi Arabian clubs, a lot of other stars are linked to a move to the Middle East as well. Hakim Ziyech, Paul Pogba, Bernardo Silva and Saul Niguez are some of the players who have been rumoured to join clubs in the Saudi Pro League. The addition of such big names is definitely a good advertisement for Saudi Arabian football and it would not just enhance the popularity of the league but also increase the quality of the same.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 10, 2023 10:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).