Neymar, Ronaldo and the 10 best players in the Saudi Pro League

James Shearman

Updated: 5 Sept 2024 17:04 BST
3 min read

Neymar is officially the most expensive player to join the lucrative Saudi Pro League in history after his summer move to Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain.

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The Brazil international was heavily linked with a move back to Barcelona, but his transfer saga was resolved when Al-Hilal lodged a €90 million bid for his services last year.

He joined the likes of Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at the club, and is set to earn a minimum of €275m across a two-year deal.

After all, these outrageous sums of money are what have driven several other stars to the league already.

10 best players in the Saudi Pro League

Neymar is now not only among the 10 best players in Saudi Arabia, but he is in competition for the number one spot with Karim Benzema.

The Brazil international is still world-class on his day, but struggled with injuries during his time at Paris Saint-Germain and was sidelined for most of his debut season in the Pro League after tearing his ACL on national team duty.

Tricky wingers Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin, who all excelled in the Premier League, also rank high among the league's top talent.

Furthermore, there are plenty of quality midfielders in the division too, including Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves, from a more attacking point of view.

N'Golo Kante and Fabinho, two of the game's great defensive midfielders of the last decade, also make the top 10.

And you can't talk about the Saudi Pro League without bringing up Cristiano Ronaldo's name these days.

The Portugal international is the catalyst for the influx of star players moving this summer, having done so himself in January.

The Saudi Pro League now has a whole host of talent at its disposal, with Roberto Firmino also plying his trade in the Middle East this campaign, though he has been a major disappointment. Lens legend Seko Fofana has been equally underwhelming and left Al-Nassr for Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq in January.