Two Players That Have Headed to the Saudi Pro League In Their Prime

Over the past two years, superstars have headed to the Saudi Pro League with unheard-of regularity. It all started with Cristiano Ronaldo, whose controversial interview with Piers Morgan on the eve of the 2022 FIFA World Cup forced his contract to be terminated with Manchester United. Al Nassr was the lucky team to secure the Portuguese icon’s services, forking out a whopping $213m a year to the former Real Madrid man. 

In the time since that marquee move, plenty of followed the great CR7. Last summer, it was Brazilian legend Neymar who left Paris Saint-Germain to join Al Hilal, while the likes of Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante have also followed suit. But while Saudi Arabia may be the land of the aging veteran, several players in their prime have headed to the Arabian Gulf. One of them, namely Ivan Toney, headed there on transfer deadline day. 

But which other European stars in their prime can be found in Saudi Arabia? Admittedly, there are plenty, but here are our two favorites. 

Moussa Diaby

Last season, Moussa Diaby was crucial in helping Aston Villa reach the UEFA Champions League for the first time. But while the latest soccer betting odds make the Villans a 66.00 outsider to lift the famous big-eared trophy this season, their former winger finds himself as a teammate of the aforementioned Benzema and Kante at Al-Ittihad. The Saudi outfit forked out $60m to bring the Frenchman to the gulf state this summer, and they were successful in their pursuit. 

Diaby had become known for his blistering pace and dazzling dribbling skills in Europe, having been a standout performer in PSG’s youth academy before making the move to Bayer Leverkusen. He emerged as one of the stars of the show at the BayArena, racking up 49 goals and a further 48 assists in 172 appearances. Last year, he headed to Villa Park and played a crucial role for Aston Villa, before both the West Midlands side and their prized asset cashed in, sealing a transfer to Al-Ittihad. 

Ruben Neves

Portuguese international Ruben Neves has made plenty of surprising moves throughout his career. He shocked the world when he left FC Porto – his boyhood club of which he was the captain – to join English second-tier side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2017. He amassed a highlight reel of thunderbolt strikes throughout his stint at Molineux, helping the Black Country outfit to secure promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking, before going on to qualify for the Europa League as well. 

Last summer, despite being Wolves captain and a mainstay in both their and his national team’s midfield, Neves decided to make another shocking transfer, this time to Saudi Arabia. He joined Al Hilal at the age of 26 for over $55m, helping his team to become champions in his first year with the club. He will be aiming to continue in a similar vein this term alongside Neymar and another former Premier League star in the form of Aleksandr Mitrovic.