Playing for Saudi Arabiaβs Al-Nassr, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has become the highest-paid athlete in the world (Mehrdad Esfahani/SNN. This is a file from the snn.ir website, which states in its footer, “All Content by Student News Agency is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.”)
Those of a certain generation will remember when all of the worldβs greatest soccer stars were lured to North America in the twilight of their careers to play in the North American Soccer League of the mid-1970s. Legends like Pele, Johan Cruyff, George Best, Franz Beckenbauer, Gordon Banks and Giorgio Chinaglia helped to put pro soccer on the map in the USA.
Today, if youβre a fading soccer star who wants to keep playing and be rewarded handsomely for doing so, Saudi Arabia is the new destination where you can get paid.
Just as the LIV is luring the big-name golfers from the PGA Tour by flashing the cash, the Saudi Pro League is scooping up all of the aging legends of soccer to populate their clubs.
The Saudi Pro League has helped make Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo the highest-paid athlete in the world, thanks to his contract with Al-Nassr. Neymar, Sadio Mane and Karim Benzema are other soccer superstars whoβve opted to scoop themselves up some Saudi cash.
It served to give the Saudi Pro League relevancy. Check any prominent listing of sportsbook reviews and youβll find that all of the top betting sites are offering odds on Saudi Pro League matches.
Letβs look at the weekly salaries (in US dollars) of the top-paid players in the Saudi League.
Cristiano Ronaldo ($4,319,729)
The worldβs all-time leading goal scorer with more than 830 tallies joined Al-Nassr on a two-year deal in time for the 2023 season. The Portuguese international and five-time Ballon dβOr winner shows no signs of slowing down at the age of 39. Ronaldo has scored 64 goals in 70 appearances for Al-Nassr, helping the side win the Arab Club Champions Cup.
Neymar ($2,159,864)
Brazilian star Neymar is playing for Saudi side Al-Hilal (This is an image from the Tasnim News Agency website, which states in its footer, “All Content by Tasnim News Agency is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.”)
Leaving Paris St Germain to join Al-Hilal in 2023, Neymarβs deal could wind up being worth more than $111 million. Al-Hilal won the Saudi League title in 2023 but in all honesty, Neymar had little to do with it. He would play just five matches prior to suffering a season-ending cruciate ligament injury. However, Brazilβs all-time scoring leader with 79 goals insists heβll be good to go next season.
Karim Benzema ($2,159,864)
After a lengthy stay with Real Madrid, French international striker Benzema brought a halt to his 14 seasons with the Spanish giants and decided to get paid. He joined Al-Ittihad on a free transfer. Agreeing to a three-year deal, he more than quadrupled his weekly pay. Benzema was earning just over $518,000 per week with Real Madrid. His first season, though, was one to forget. Benzema scored only nine goals in his first Saudi season.
Riyad Marhez ($1,127,449)
There was a lot of appeal for the Algerian international to leave Manchester City following the 2023 season. After all, heβd just won the treble – the Premier League title, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. His transfer fee netted City more than $387,000. Marhez, 33, signed a four-year contract worth $58.5 million with Al-Alhi. As a Muslim, he feels at home in Saudi Arabia and it shows. Marhez was good for 12 goals and 14 assists in his debut season with Al-Ahli.
Sadio Mane ($863,945)
The former Bayern Munich and Liverpool striker also made the move to Saudi Arabia in 2023. He inked a four-year deal with Al-Nassr for just under $1.8 million. Lining up alongside Ronaldo, Mane would tally 19 goals last season.
Kalidou Koulibaly ($749,472)
The Senegalese international spent one forgettable season with Chelsea before opting to chase the lucrative Saudi cash cow. The center back became the highest-paid defender in the world when he agreed to a three-year, $21.95 million deal with Al Hilal.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic ($539,965)
Signing the Serbian international midfielder, Al-Hilal paid almost $44 million in transfer fees to Italian Serie A club Lazio. Milinkovic-Savic was being pursued by several Italian and English Premier League clubs, but took the money and ran to Saudi Arabia, increasing his weekly stipend by more than four times his previous rate of pay.
NβGolo Kante ($539,965)
The French international defensive midfielder turned down a new contract offer from Chelsea to make the leap into Saudi Arabian soccer. Kante gained a free transfer from Stamford Bridge, agreeing to a two-year pact with Al-Ittihad. He played so well in his first season in Saudi Arabia that Kante would earn a recall to the France side. At Chelsea, he filled his trophy case with FA Cup, Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FIFA World Club Cup and UEFA Super Cup titles. Kante also was a FIFA World Cup winner with France. Kante made use of his new-found riches to acquire his own club. He purchased Royal Excelsior Virton of the Belgian third division.
Alexander Mitrovic ($539,965)
The potent striker basically forced Fulhamβs hand in order to gain his transfer to Al-Hilal, which didnβt sit well with supporters of the London-based EPL club. He continued to score at the same rate as Mitrovic did for Fulham with his new club. The Serbian international potted 40 goals in 43 matches over all competitions, as All-Hilal won the Saudi Pro League, King Cup and Saudi Super Cup.
Aymeric Laporte ($523,700)
The Spanish international was looking for a move, since he was no longer a regular in the Manchester City side during the 2022-23 EPL season. Laporte would join Al-Ittihad by agreeing to terms on a contract worth $30.48 million. The center back scored four goals in 27 matches last season.