Transfermarkt: The 10 most expensive new signings in the Saudi Pro League

The Saudi Pro League narrowly missed the one billion euro mark, but the transfer fees of 955.87 million euros paid for new players were also a big exclamation mark. And probably just the beginning, because according to unconfirmed media reports, the Saudi Arabian government wants to make almost 20 billion euros available to the 18 clubs in the domestic Pro League for transfers by 2030.

It is not surprising that this can attract players to the Saudi League who could also play a good role in one of Europe’s top leagues. Although Lionel Messi rejected Saudi Arabia and decided to spend the autumn of his career at Inter Miami, numerous other stars with more or less big names signed in the Saudi Pro League in the past few months.

The Cristiano Ronaldo Saudi Arabia connection was the beginning of 2023, with the Portuguese world footballer being able to join Al-Nassr for a free transfer after his contract with Manchester United was terminated. A Saudi Pro League transfer for free was by no means the norm in the summer of 2023, although Karim Benzema also reached Saudi Arabia for free.

Rather, numerous transfers worth millions were made – below we look at the ten most expensive changes on the Saudi Arabia transfer market.

Neymar (Al-Hilal) – 90 million euros

Because Kylian Mbappe ultimately rejected Saudi Arabia despite an offer of a dizzying amount and stayed with Paris St. Germain for the time being, Neymar was, alongside Benzema, the most well-known newcomer to the Saudi Pro League in the summer of 2023. Al-Hilal hired the services for 90 million euros of the Brazilian, who was worth 222 million euros to PSG six years earlier, but was ultimately unable to fully meet the high expectations in France, especially with regard to the Champions League. Because he was still comparatively young at 31, Neymar was heavily criticized for his move to Saudi Arabia, which was certainly financially motivated. The technician, who is brilliant on good days, is still in demand in the Brazilian national team – and could remain so until the 2026 World Cup if he performs well for Al-Hilal.

With Neymar, Al-Hilal also hired his compatriot Malcom, who is five years his junior and who is supposed to cause a sensation and goal threat, especially on the right wing. After a less than successful 2018/19 season at FC Barcelona, ​​Malcom played for Zenit St. Petersburg for four years and played his part in four Russian championships in a row. The football statistics of the Premier League even showed the winger, who is only 1.71 meters tall, as the top scorer in 2022/23 with 23 goals, which also helped Malcom make it to the Selecao. At Neymar’s side, Malcom is now certainly in the sights of the national team,

Otavio (Al-Nassr) – 60 million euros

Not from a top five league, but after years of strong performances in the FC Porto jersey, Otavio seized the opportunity in August 2023 to no longer only play in the Portuguese national team, but also in the club with Cristiano Ronaldo. The native Brazilian, who came to Portugal from his homeland in 2014 and celebrated three championships and cup victories with Porto, is supposed to provide the creative moments in the attacking midfield at Al-Nassr and ultimately, above all, feed Ronaldo with assists.

Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal) – 55 million euros

Meanwhile, Ruben Neves’ move from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Al-Hilal was not understandable to everyone, as the 42-time Portuguese national player, who was only 26 years old, would have had other options that would have been more attractive in terms of sport. In Al-Hilal’s newly assembled star ensemble, Ruben Neves is now intended to be the director, who will direct and structure the game from the central midfield in order to optimally position the prominent offensive line.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al-Hilal) – 52.6 million euros

In addition to Neymar and Malcom, Aleksandar Mitrovic is also part of the attack department at Al-Hilal. 55 goals in 83 international matches for Serbia served as a strong reference for the 29-year-old center forward, as did 14 goals in just 24 games in the 2022/23 Premier League for FC Fulham, whom Mitrovic had previously almost beaten with 43 goals in the 2021/22 Championship single-handedly shot to resurgence. The 1.89 meter tall storm tank’s ultimately forced farewell to Saudi Arabia did not go smoothly and casts a shadow over Mitrovic’s actually outstanding time at Fulham.

Fabinho (Al-Ittihad Club) – 46.7 million euros

The fact that the upheaval in Liverpool FC’s midfield was even greater than it already was was also due to Fabinho’s move to Al-Ittihad Club at the end of July. The 29-year-old Brazilian came to the Reds from AS Monaco in 2018 for 45 million euros and, after triumphs in the Premier League and the Champions League, among other things, could now be sold on for a small profit. The 29-time national player has a 2018 world champion in N’Golo Kanté and Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad, both in midfield as a supporting man and in attack as a passing point.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al-Hilal) – 40 million euros

In 2015, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic came to Lazio from KRC Genk and quickly attracted so much attention that since then practically no transfer period has passed without rumors of a move involving the Serbian midfield strategist. A move to the Premier League or to Juventus Turin, which had been discussed several times, never materialized. Unlike the 40 million euro commitment to Al-Hilal, which brought the 28-year-old quite a bit of criticism. Thanks to the individual class of his teammates around Neymar and Ruben Neves, Milinkovic-Savic is at least assured of a high level of training.

Gabri Veiga (Al-Ahli) – 40 million euros

There is currently only limited demand for football bets that Gabriel Veiga will make a name for himself over the course of his career. The Spaniard, who is only 21 years old, is accused of lacking sporting ambition due to his move from Celta Vigo to Al-Ahli, as the U21 national player was also offered numerous options in Europe – although all of them were probably a little less well rewarded. The central midfielder, who made his breakthrough in 2022/23 with eleven goals and four assists in 36 La Liga games, is continuing his career in the Saudi Pro League – certainly under the suspicious eye of most football romantics.

Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli) – 40 million euros

Riyad Mahrez followed up the sensational championship with Leicester City in 2016 with Manchester City, including four more championship titles in England since 2018 and finally winning the Champions League in June 2023. Since then, the career of the 83-time Algerian national player can be considered complete and at 32 years old, Mahrez is not one of the players whose move to the Saudi Pro League was criticized. Instead, the winger will once again reap the fruits of his achievements in the autumn of his career so that he can then retire from the stage in a well-off position in the not too distant future.

Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr) and Roger Ibanez (Al-Ahli) – 30 million euros

Tenth place in the transfer rankings is shared by two players, Sadio Mané and Roger Ibanez, whose signatures at Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli respectively met with different responses. While Mané’s involvement in the Saudi Pro League was a welcome escape given the messy situation at FC Bayern Munich and at the age of 31, the decision of Ibanez, who was seven years his junior, to leave AS Roma for Al-Ahli came as a surprise. Similar to Ruben Neves or Gabri Veiga, the path back to a top European league should still be open for Ibanez.