Top 10 best players in Saudi Pro League 2023-24

A massive influx of talent has joined the Saudi Pro League

The Saudi Pro League has overnight become a league of considerable star power, with the financial power of the country thrown in full force behind its top clubs to acquire popular players from around the globe. This has been impressive to witness. Saudi Arabia is actually trying to put itself on the football map as soon as possible.

Ever since the World Cup in Qatar, things have changed in Saudi Arabia. The country saw a huge fan following of players and saw the potential to sign top players from Europe’s best clubs. Now, the league boasts an impressive collection of well-known players up and down the pitch.

Huge amounts of money have been thrown around by the Saudi government, mostly by the four clubs that are now managed by the state’s Public Investment Fund (PIF): Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli. Other clubs like Al Ettifaq and Al Shabab are benefiting from a smaller amount of talent that is coming to play for them.

Top 10 players in Saudi Pro League 2023-24

10. Allan Saint-Maximin- Al Ahli

Europe’s dribbling king, Allan Saint-Maximin, served for years and years at Newcastle, and this transfer window, the 26-year-old decided to spend his career’s prime in Saudi Arabia. His dribbling skills are going to be his calling card, even in the Saudi Pro League.

His 4.80 successful take-ons and 7.34 progressive carries per 90 minutes are both in the 99th percentile among European wingers, which clearly suggests that he is going to be a force in this league as well. The Frenchman has played all three matches in this league, and as expected from him, he has adapted and provided an assist already.

9. Ruben Neves- Al Hilal

The 26-year-old ended years of transfer interest from Barcelona to make his move to the Saudi League to join Al Hilal. Most players who joined the league are above 30 and are looking to finish their career in Saudi Arabia, but the former Wolves captain saw potential in this league and joined his countryman in this league. He was the bulwark that held the right cards for the Wolves for years.

An extremely capable defensive midfielder in the same mould as N’Golo Kante is highly regarded in his position and has earned his status in world football.

8. Anderson Talisca- Al Nassr

The Brazilian winger is the longest-tenured player on this list by a significant margin; he joined Al Nassr in the summer of 2021 from Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. Ever since his arrival, he has become a fan favourite and was among the few popular players to join the league. He was surprised by the signing of Ronaldo, but they have enjoyed their playing time together, and with Mane now joining them, the club has the best attacking trio in the league.

While Mane and Ronaldo draw the attention of most fans seeking to follow the league’s star power, Mane has collected 40 goals through his first two seasons with the club. He remains the key part of Al Nassr’s attack.

7. Aymeric Laporte- Al Nassr

Laporte, the former Manchester City player, is now teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Marcelo Brozovic for Al-Nassr. He won 12 successful titles with Manchester City, one of them being the Champions League last season. He was voted a member of the PFA Team of the Year in the 2018-19 season.

His move was quite interesting; after Gvardiol’s signing, he became the sixth-choice centre-back for Pep Guardiola. It is evident why he decided to play for Al Nassr; the chance to play alongside Ronaldo and the money they were offering were exactly what attracted him.

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6. N’Golo Kante- Al Ittihad

Kante left Chelsea after seven years at Stamford Bridge. The last two years have been bad for him; he struggled with injuries in those last two years. Last season, he missed only 38 matches in all competitions. Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League last season without him.

Al Ittihad is managed by former Wolves manager Nuno Santo, and his former French teammate Benzema knows what he can bring to the football field. If Kante is healthy, he is the best midfielder in the Saudi Pro League. His defensive work rate and progressive abilities make him one of the best two-way midfielders in the world.

5. Sadio Mane- Al Nassr

Sadio Mane had a perfect career with Liverpool; he helped them win their first Premier League title. After his tenure at Liverpool, he was signed by Bayern Munich to be the man in the attack for the Bavarians, but due to injuries, a lack of playing time, and chemistry, he left the club only after spending one season there.

The 31-year-old Senegalese has joined Ronaldo and Talisca in Al Nassr’s attacks; he has scored three goals in three matches in the first three matches, one of which he scored yesterday, which was assisted by Ronaldo himself. The trio can be dangerous this season.

4. Riyad Mahrez- Al Ahli

Mahrez is one of the best left-wingers to play in the Premier League; Manchester City offloaded him this season due to his decline in playing minutes last season. He was a part of Ranieri’s Leicester City team that won the 2015-16 Premier League season.

After signing a four-year deal with Al Ahli, it appears he will be one of the top players in the Saudi Pro League for some time. He contributed to 28 goals in his final season at Manchester City, scoring 15 and assisting 13.

3. Karim Benzema- Al ittihad

The 36-year-old is one of the most talented strikers in the world. Benzema has five Champions League titles and one Ballon d’Or award that he won in 2022, making him one of the best numbers to ever wear the Real Madrid jersey.

It is believed that he was in Ronaldo’s shadow for years, and now the two will go against each other in the Saudi Pro League for a couple of years.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo- Al Nassr

The guy who made a way for all the European stars to join the Saudi Pro League. Since his claim that “Saudi Pro League will be one of the best leagues in the world soon,” a lot of players have joined the league. Since his arrival in January 2023, he has definitely put the league somewhere that people around the world are now talking about.

Ronaldo missed the league title by a slight margin, and with no goals in the first match, he scored a hattrick yesterday while providing a back-heel assist to Sadio Mane. The duo combined for all five goals that the club scored.

1. Neymar- Al Hilal

Wherever Neymar has played in his entire career, he has been the most fouled player on the field. Due to his quick feet and electric pace, it is difficult for the defenders to stop him. The 31-year-old called his time in Europe and has now joined the Saudi Pro League, becoming one of the big superstars to join the league, if healthy, he is one of the two best players of our generation to play in the league.

After signing with Al Hilal, he has become the highest-paid player in the world and has been handed some luxurious perks in his contract.

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