5 Players Who Could Follow Ronaldo and Benzema to the Saudi Pro League
Whether it is for a big payday or to join what might become one of the top five leagues in the world, the Saudi Pro League is close to bringing in a boatload of talented footballers.
Cristiano Ronaldo set the bar by joining Al-Nassr in December 2022 and now, his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema has followed his path by joining Al-Ittihad.
With the large amount of money that Saudi Arabian clubs are offering, it is no surprise that some of the world’s best players are linked with transfers to the SPL. Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half-year deal that could pay up to €200 million ($213.82 million) per year. Benzema meanwhile signed a three-year, $643 million deal this past Sunday.
Here are five star players who we could see join Ronaldo and Benzema by playing in the SPL next season.
Sergio Ramos
Another former Real Madrid star could be moving to the SPL in the form of center-back Sergio Ramos.
While there has been minimal talk as of late Ramos was offered a €30 million ($32.11 million) a year deal to join Al Hilal back in March 2023. Ramos’s contract with PSG expired at the end of the season and neither have any interest in running it back one more time.
This brought an end to the 37-year-old’s two-year stop in France. In his first season (2021-22), Ramos played in just 13 matches for the French giants. However, he saw much more playing time last season by appearing in 45 matches while scoring four goals. Before joining PSG, Ramos spent 16 seasons with Real Madrid where he was the captain from 2015 to 2021.
The chances of Al Hilal signing Ramos may have risen due to them losing out on the Lionel Messi sweepstakes.
İlkay Gündoğan
The hero of Manchester City’s 2-1 FA Cup victory over crosstown rivals Manchester United was İlkay Gündoğan. The German midfielder scored both goals for City in the win.
As a result, clubs in the SPL have targeted Gündoğan as a player to bring to the rising league. No team has been named yet for a destination for Gündoğan, but a huge contract could be offered by a team in the Saudi Pro League.
There will be competition for the unnamed Saudi side as City wants to keep the 32-year-old around for at least another season. Other teams looking to sign Gündoğan include Arsenal and Barcelona. It has been reported that Gündoğan will make his decision at some point after Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan on Saturday.
Alexis Sánchez
Real football fans remember how Alexis Sánchez tore up the English Premier League with Arsenal before a move to Manchester United and Inter Milan spoiled a promising career. The 34-year-old forward has been approached by Al Fateh with a one-year deal for €10 million ($10.69 million) with an option for another year.
Sánchez has been playing for Marseille since leaving Inter Milan in 2022. This past season he scored 18 goals and picked up three assists in 44 matches played. This was significantly less than his 30 goals and 18 assists for Arsenal in the 2016-17 season, though the regression is not surprising considering his age.
Al Fateh finished sixth in the SPL this season, and Sánchez would quickly become the club’s most notable player.
Heung-min Son
After a disappointing season with Tottenham, it seems that Heung-min Son is already out the door. While no team has been mentioned, Son has been rumored to be a target of Saudi clubs. Son had a career year in 2021-22 finishing with 24 goals and 10 assists for Tottenham. His 23 Premier League goals were enough for him to tie Mohamed Salah for the most goals in the league.
Unfortunately, Son fell back down to Earth in the 2022-23 season finishing with just 14 goals and six assists over 47 matches.
Son did play every minute for South Korea at the 2022 World Cup, picking up a single assist in Qatar. At 30 years old, Son still has a few years left in his career, but a move to Saudi Arabia may be what he needs to re-spark his goal-scoring ability.
Wilfried Zaha
The newest teammate of Ronaldo at Al-Nassr could be Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha. The Saudi Pro League side has already offered the Côte d’Ivoire star a three-year £45 million ($55.89 million) deal. Adding a player of Zaha’s ability is a step in the right direction for a team that fell below expectations after a record-breaking signing.
Al-Nassr is not the only team that is looking to sign Zaha. Al-Ittihad has also offered the winger a contract for £9 million ($11.18 million) per year. It will be tough to draw Zaha away from Crystal Palace as they have offered a £200,000 per week deal to stay in London.
At only 30 years old, Zaha could surely still play in one of Europe’s biggest leagues, whether in England or elsewhere. He did have a down year for Palace in 2022-23 scoring just seven goals in his second-lowest performance the last six years.
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