New Delhi: The Saudi Pro League took everyone by storm when Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo announced that he would be signing for Riyadh-based SPL side Al-Nassr in December 2022. This was followed by the nation’s Public Investment Fund taking over 75% stakes in the four founding clubs of the Saudi Pro League, Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. And rest, as they say, is history.
The 2023 summer transfer window saw multiple superstars and young prospects leave European football behind to play in the same league as Ronaldo. Joining the Portuguese in the Middle East were superstars like Neymar, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Sadio Mane and Riyadh Mahrez among many others. Young players like Gabri Veiga, Jota, Roger Ibanez, and Ruben Neves also left European football for the Middle-Eastern adventure.
Following that outlay last season, fans were expecting a lot of moves to Saudi Arabia once again in this window. While there weren’t as many superstars joining the league this year, many quality players did end up moving to the Saudi Pro League in the 2024 summer window. Here’s a list of the top 10 players who left the allure of European football behind this season to play in this rapidly growing league.
10) Nacho Fernandez (Al-Qadsiah)
Nacho Fernandez during the Saudi Pro League match between Al Qadsiah and Al Fateh at Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium on August 23, 2024 in Ad Dammam, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
The 34-year-old Spanish defender left boyhood club Real Madrid at the end of the season after captaining the club to their 15th UEFA Champions League crown alongside another La Liga triumph. He called time on his 23-year Los Blancos career and left the club he joined at the age of 10. He left his childhood club after winning four La Liga titles, six UEFA Champions Leagues, three UEFA Super Cups, and five Club World Cups.
Instead of joining another Spanish side, Nacho decided to follow his former Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, to the Middle East and joined the newly promoted Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League. The club is owned by Saudi Aramco and have just returned to the top flight after winning the First Division in the previous season. Nacho has signed a contract till 2026 with the side on a reported salary of €10 million
9) Daniel Podence (Al-Shabab)
Daniel Podence runs with the ball during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley at Molineux on August 28, 2024 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
Portuguese winger Daniel Podence left Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers and signed for Saudi Pro League’s Al-Shabab on deadline day. The 28-year-old moves to Saudi Arabia after Al-Shabab agreed a £5 million deal for him with Wolves. A direct and pacey winger, Podence joined Wolves in January 2020 from Greek outfit Olympiacos for £16.9 million before returning to his previous club on loan last season.
A new threat in the @SPL_EN 😏⚡️ @daniel_podence is BLACK & WHITE! 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/OrSwa4dnCu
— AlShabab Saudi Club (@AlShabab_EN) September 2, 2024
He made over 100 appearances for the Premier League side, three of which came in the current season, scoring 16 goals and providing nine assists for the club. Last season at Olympiacos, he showed exceptional form for the Greek outfit, helping them win the UEFA Europa Conference League. In 47 appearances, he scored 15 and assisted 13 throughout the season, which saw him being named in the UEFA Europa Conference League’s Team of the Season.
8) Houssem Aouar (Al-Ittihad)
Houssem Aouar celebrates after scoring the 2nd goal for his team during the Saudi Pro League match between Al Ittihad and Al Taawoun at King Abdullah Sports City on August 29, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Former Olympique Lyon wonderkid Houssem Aouar left European football behind this summer as he chose to sign for Al-Ittihad from AS Roma. Aouar, who made one appearance for the French National team before switching his allegiance to Algeria, became French manager Laurent Blanc’s first signing at the club, becoming the newest part of the French contingent at Al-Ittihad, which includes future legends like Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.
Al-Ittihad were the busiest of the four founding clubs this summer, signing some great players as they look to challenge Al-Hilal for the SPL title this year after a not-so-great campaign last season. They signed the midfielder for a measly €12 million fee and he’s started life in Jeddah pretty well, scoring twice in his first two games after being reunited with former Lyon manager Laurent Blanc, under whom he impressed in France.
7) Mohamed Simakan (Al-Nassr)
Mohamed Simakan walks off the pitch. (Photo by Jan Woitas/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr weren’t quite as active as many fans were expecting them to be but they still managed to sign of one the best defenders playing in Germany. RB Leipzig’s Mo Simakan made the switch to Al-Nassr on Bundesliga’s deadline day after three years at the club. The fee Al-Nassr paid for Simakan is reported to be around €45 million and he will partner former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte in defence.
Mohamed, is one of us 💛 pic.twitter.com/gpwushMhBS
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) September 2, 2024
Al-Nassr were initially interested in getting PSG’s Milan Skriniar to the club and partnering him alongside Laporte and even had a deal accepted by the French club. However, the Slovak ultimately decided to reject a move to Saudi in favour of staying and fighting for his place in Paris and Al-Nassr turned their attention towards Simakan. The 27-year-old has reported signed a long-term contract with the club and will earn around €15 million per year.
6) Koen Casteels (Al-Qadsiah)
Koen Casteels applauds the fans during the Bundesliga match between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern München at Volkswagen Arena on February 05, 2023 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Aramco-owned Al-Qadsiah were extremely active in the transfer window as they were gearing up for their first season back in the top flight. The first major signing they made in the window was to sign Belgian number 1, Koen Casteels after he chose to leave German club VfL Wolfsburg at the end of last season. The 31-year-old quietly left Germany after spending 13 years in the country.
“كوين كاستيلس” فارسنا البلجيكي ✍🏻🇧🇪#القادسية | #كاستيلس_قدساوي pic.twitter.com/gLqQJfQ9vN
— نادي القادسية السعودي (@Alqadsiah) July 21, 2024
Casteels moved to Germany in 2011 following a breakout campaign with KRC Genk. He would go on to play for three Bundesliga clubs during his time in Germany, representing TSG Hoffenheim and VfL Wolfsburg on either side of a Werder Bremen loan spell. He’s signed a three-year deal with Al-Qadsiah that will see him stay at the club till the end of 2027.
5) Steven Bergwijn (Al-Ittihad)
Steven Bergwijn scoring a penalty during the UEFA Europa League match between Ajax v Panathinaikos at the Johan Cruijff Arena on August 15, 2024 in Amsterdam Netherlands (Photo by Jeroen van den Berg/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Al-Ittihad decided to sell Portuguese winger Jota back to Europe after he didn’t have the most productive time in Jeddah. Jota was sold to French club Rennes in the window and the Jeddah-based side were actively looking for a replacement. They lined up multiple options to replace the winger and Ajax winger Steven Bergwijn was the one they decided to ahead with. The former Spurs winger joined Laurent Blanc’s side in a deal worth €21 million.
🎥| Welcoming our new Tiger Steven Bergwijn🐅
pic.twitter.com/Lo1hBZgaf7
— Al-Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) September 2, 2024
The former Ajax captain signed for the Amsterdam-based outfit for around €30 million. Even though they did sell him for a loss, the player had to be sold in the window as the new Ajax manager Francesco Farioli didn’t see Bergwijn in part of his plans. He will now reportedly earn around €9 million per year and will play alongside Karim Benzema in attack. The club had to decide between signing him and Wenderson Galeno from Porto but decided to go for Bergwijn.
4) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Al-Qadsiah)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang controls the ball during the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 Semi-Final second leg at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on May 9, 2024 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by sportinfoto/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
The most high-profile name to be added to Al-Qadsiah’s squad in this window is another player who has French roots and has moved to the Saudi Pro League, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The former Arsenal striker signed for the newly-promoted club after enjoying a brilliant season with Olympique Marseille where he made 50 appearances for the club and contributed to 30 goals and 11 assists in the 2023/24 campaign.
Welcoming ‘Aubameyang’ as he lights up a new chapter in history ❤️🔝#Alqadsiah | #AubameyangQadsawi pic.twitter.com/tYyZTPdOOX
— AlQadsiah Saudi Club (@AlQadsiahEN) July 18, 2024
He joined Marseille after a disastrous time at Chelsea the season before where he wasn’t given any meaningful game time, playing less than 600 Premier League minutes, scoring just once in the league. His remarkable season with Marseille attracted the interest of Al-Qadsiah and they signed the forward down to a two-year deal at the club where he will reportedly earn around £8.5 million per year.
3) Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)
Ivan Toney, newly signed to Al Ahli, arrives at Jeddah Airport on September 1, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
English striker Ivan Toney was involved in one of the longest sagas of transfer deadline day as he was involved in the merry-go-round of potential deals involving Chelsea, Al-Ahli, Victor Osimhen and Toney himself. The striker was long linked with a move away from the Bees but the London-based club were holding out for a mammoth £100 million fee for the striker for years, shunning away potential suitors.
He’s here, and he’s perfect ✨@ivantoney24 is a new warrior in the fortress 💪
pic.twitter.com/11FHDqsCeT
— Al-Ahli Saudi Club (@ALAHLI_FCEN) September 1, 2024
However, the club were resigned to losing the striker this summer with both Chelsea and Al-Ahli rumoured to be interested in the striker. The Saudi Arabian club decided to leave their pursuit of Victor Osimhen and instead focused on bringing Ivan Toney to the club. They agreed to pay Brentford £40 million for the 28-year-old and signed him on a three-year deal at the club, reportedly paying him around £16 million per year.
2) Joao Cancelo (Al-Hilal)
Joao Cancelo celebrates after scoring the team’s third goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and Celta Vigo at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on September 23, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo has finally left the club permanently after spending loan spells away at Bayern Munich and Barcelona in recent seasons. He left the English juggernaut to join the Saudi-Arabian juggernaut, Al-Hilal, in a £21 million deal. Cancelo was once an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s set-up at Manchester City but a change in Pep’s playstyle saw Cancelo be surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium.
📸 “Cancelo” at #AlHilal Club 💙 pic.twitter.com/333NxSCDcQ
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) September 1, 2024
The Saudi Arabian outfit were initially interested in signing fellow Manchester City player Kyle Walker but after City rebuffed their approach for the Englishman, they turned their attention towards Cancelo. He leaves City after playing over 150 games for the club and winning three Premier League titles. The 30-year-old joins Al-Hilal on a three-year contract reportedly worth £15 million a year.
1) Moussa Diaby (Al-Ittihad)
Moussa Diaby and Karim Benzema celebrates victory after winning the Saudi Pro League match between Al Ittihad and Al Taawoun at King Abdullah Sports City on August 29, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Ending the list with the most expensive transfer made by any Saudi Pro League club this window. Moussa Diaby joined Al-Ittihad in a deal worth around £52 million, on the back of a solitary season in the Premier League with Aston Villa. He helped the club qualify for the UEFA Champions League, earning them a top-four finish in the Premier League. He completes Al-Ittihad’s French contingent and makes up an exciting Al-Ittihad front three alongside Benzema and Bergwijn.
Diaby has reportedly signed a five-year deal at the club, earning him around £20 million per year. Al-Ittihad have made some really good signings in the window and the addition of Diaby in a team that already boasted the likes of Kante and Fabinho makes them fully prepared for the 2024/25 season where they will hope to improve on their fifth-placed finish last season.
The Saudi Pro League transfer window just came to a close last night and the squads are now set for the rest of the year. Here’s a look at the second batch of Saudi’s summer imports. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
