Year Ender 2023: Cristiano Ronaldo to Karim Benzema - Football Superstars who made a Beeline for Saudi Pro League

Add as a preferred source on Google

The year 2023 has been a revolutionizing year for football in Saudi Arabia. The flag end of 2022 saw them winning against eventual World Champions Argentina at the World Cup, and the 2023 has been a groundbreaking one for the Saudi league.

The Saudi domestic league has grown by leaps and bounds in 2023, which was catalyzed by the influx of some top football talents, starting with Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portugal star made his move to Al Nassr after an unceremonious end at Manchester United, and since then, several top European stars and coaches have joined the queue in the middle-east country.

In this article, we shall take a look at the Ten biggest football gladiators who have joined the beeline of the Saudi Pro League in 2023 in no particular order-

Ten Football Superstars who joined Saudi Pro League in 2023

Kalidou Kouliably

Club: Al Hilal
Previous Club: Chelsea
Position: Defender

Kalidou Koluliably made a shock move to Al Hilal in the summer of 2023 from Chelsea. The Senegal international since has been a pillar at the Saudi giants, playing 28 matches thus far as Al Hilal are on top of the Saudi League table.

Neymar

Club: Al Hilal
Previous Club: PSG
Position: Attacker

Neymar is the biggest signing of Saudi football in 2023. The Brazilian joined the Saudi giants after terminating his PSG contract. But the 31-year-old has only played five times for his new club before suffering an ACL injury. He is out for the season and is expected to be out till July.

Jordan Henderson

Club: Al Ettifaq
Previous Club: Liverpool
Position: Midfielder

Jordan Henderson was a superb signing for Al Ettifaq, who is being managed by Henderson's ex-Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard. The England midfielder is a coveted player at his position and has been instrumental for his Saudi club thus far.

Roberto Firmino

Club: Al Ahli
Previous Club: Liverpool
Position: Attacker

Roberto Firmino was a statement signing for Al Ahli ahead of this season. The Liverpool Attacker was devoid of minutes at the Anfield and decided to join Al Ahli to get more game time. Al Ahli are sitting 3rd in the league but the Brazilian has only found the net three times in 18 matches thus far this season.

Riyad Mahrez

Club: Al Ahli
Previous Club: Manchester City
Position: Winger

Fresh from a treble-winning season, Riyad Mahrez decided to call time on his Man City career and joined Al Ahli. The Algerian magician has found the net 9 times across all competitions.

N'Golo Kante

Club: Al Ittihad
Previous Club: Chelsea
Position: Midfielder

Regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, N'Golo Kante also joined the Saudi ship with many of his Chelsea teammates. He landed at Al Ittihad, the defending champions of Saudi Arabia. The Frenchman has been a key part of the team this season, but Al Ittihad are currently 6th in the league table.

Karim Benzema

Club: Al Ittihad
Previous Club: Real Madrid
Position: Striker

Karim Benzema ended his 14-year-long stay at Real Madrid and joined Al Ittihad in the summer. The prized striker has scored 15 goals of Al Ittihad this season and is looking in excellent form.

Marcelo Brozovic

Club: Al Nassr
Previous Club: Inter Milan
Position: Midfielder

Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic has been a top signing for Al Nassr this summer. He has orchestrated the midfield superbly and has cemented his place as an undisputed starter alongside Seko Fofana.

Sadio Mane

Club: Al Nassr
Previous Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Winger

Sadio Mane is the biggest signing for Al Nassr in the summer. The Senegal winger has showcased his immense class in the first few months at the club, scoring 10 goals in 28 matches. He was instrumental in Al Nassr's Arab Club Champions Cup winning campaign and is looking excellent in the Saudi League and AFC Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Club: Al Nassr
Previous Club: Manchester United
Position: Attacker

Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest star of the Saudi Pro League. Despite the unfortunate ending at Man United, Ronaldo has found new home in Riyadh and has been the driving force of Al Nassr this season.

He has already scored 41 goals for Al Nassr, 17 of them have come in 16 league matches this season. Ronaldo also has a total of 51 goals for club and country combined in 2023.