Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema & the football stars who moved to the Saudi Pro League

The transfer which in all likelihood put Saudi Pro League on world football's map. Some are still shocked that Ronaldo left Europe to join Al Nassr after being released by Manchester United following a dispute with the club's administration.

It did not take Ronaldo too long to adapt to life in Saudi Arabia, with the former Manchester United winger having scored 14 goals in 16 appearances, nearly winning Al Nassr the title despite only playing half a season with them.

Neymar joined Al-Hilal after six seasons at Paris Saint-Germain. The divisive winger managed to feature in just one Champions League final after leaving Barcelona in 2017. In his 173 appearances, the 32-year-old scored 118 times and formed a deadly duo with French superstar Kylian Mbappe.

He was one third of the legendary Barcelona attacking trio alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, helping the Blaugrana win a second treble in 2015/16 season.

The former Barcelona man broke the transfer record when he joined PSG in 2017 and has joined Al-Hilal on a lucrative deal for two years.

Much like his former teammate Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr, ex-Real Madrid forward Benzema's move to Al Ittihad in the summer of 2023 took many by surprise.

Most spectators and experts had expected Real Madrid's all-time 2nd highest top scorer to remain with Los Blancos for another year, however, Benzema decided not to renew his contract beyond 2023 after being convinced by Al Ittihad about their project.

Serbia's all-time top goalscorer, Aleksandar Mitrovic, is on his way to join the likes of Neymar, Ruben Neves and fellow countryman, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at Al-Hilal. The 28-year-old holds the record for most goals scored in an English league season with his 43 goals in 46 appearances during the 2021-22 season with Fulham.

The former Newcastle United striker helped Serbia win the U19 European Championship in 2013 and won the golden player award for his performances. He has won the golden boot twice with Fulham in the Championship.

Following City's iconic treble win last season, the Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez, has surprisingly decided to join Saudi club Al-Ahli. The five time Premier League winner was an impactful presence at both Leicester and Man City during his time in England.

Blessed with a wand of a left foot, Mahrez has scored 78 times in his 236 appearances for the Cityzens. The 31-year-old was voted the PFA's Player's player of the season and Fan's player of the season during the title winning 2015-16 season with Leicester City.

Former Liverpool winger, Sadio Mane, has moved to Saudi following a poor spell at Bayern Munich. The Senegalese has joined forces with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr during the summer transfer window.

The 31-year-old won a Champions League and went to three finals with the Merseyside Reds and was a part of the squad that ended the long drought of Premier League trophy for Liverpool. He formed the famed attacking trio under Jurgen Klopp alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Liverpool and former England captain, Jordan Henderson, has joined Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard, at Al Ittifaq. Henderson captained Liverpool to a Champions League and Premier League trophy marking their most successful era in recent years.

The 33-year-old has made 492 appearances during his time at the club spanning over a decade where he scored 33 times.

One third of Liverpool's Champions League winning forward trio has moved to Al Ahli after calling it time on his Reds career. Bobby, as he is fondly called, marked an era under manager Jurgen Klopp and redefined the forward position with his excellent linkup ability.

The 31-year-old Brazilian scored 111 times during his 362 appearances for the club and turned facilitator for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane often during his time in the Premier League.

It didn't take too long for the 2018 World Cup winner to link up with his national side teammate Benzema at Al Ittihad, with Kante joining the Saudi Pro League side in July 2023.

After achieving everything he could at Chelsea, which included heroic performances that won the Blues the Champions League and Premier League, Kante decided against renewing with the club, and instead joining Al Ittihad on a free transfer.

The most expensive signing in the history of the Saudi Pro League, Neves' €55m move from Wolves to Al Hilal in 2023 shocked many.

Many big European clubs were eyeing Neves whose contract with Wolves was expiring in 2024, with Barcelona especially close to landing him. However, once Al Hilal came with their offer, no one could pry the Portuguese midfielder away from them.

After only a year at Chelsea following his move from Napoli in the summer of 2022, Koulibaly decided to move on from the Blues to join Al Hilal for a reported fee of €23m.

The Senegalese defender did not have the best of times at Stamford Bridge, with Koulibaly struggling with both injuries and inconsistent form. With his move to the Saudi Pro League he would be looking to return back to his best while helping both his new club and league grow.

One of the greatest wingers to come out of Italy, Donadoni decided to end his career in Saudi Arabia with Al Ittihad in 1999 following a second spell with AC Milan.

Despite winning the league in the one season he played in Saudi Arabia, Donadoni couldn't make much of a mark with Al Ittihad failing to score for them in the entire campaign.

One of the many promising talents to emerge from Benfica, Talisca moved from Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande to Al Nassr in 2021, on the back of some impressive performances in China.

It didn't take Talisca too long to establish himself as Al Nassr's ace, and he has been their top-scorer across both seasons he has played in so far, using the signing of Ronaldo to up his own game and remain the club's leading performer.

A legend of Mexican football, Borgetti joined Al Ittihad and moved to the Saudi Pro League in 2006 after being released by Bolton Wanderers following a disappointing season with the English side.

It did not take too long for the Mexican forward to find his form as he scored 10 goals in 15 league appearances. His impressive displays once again attracted interest from abroad, and Borgetti would leave.

After four successful seasons in the MLS for Toronto FC, Giovinco moved to Al Hilal in 2018 for an undisclosed fee in the hope of bringing his excellent displays to the Saudi Pro League.

However, despite winning the league in his first two seasons, he did not set the competition on fire as he had done in the U.S. and returned to Serie A with a move to Sampdoria in 2021.

One of the best midfielders to come from La Liga, the Argentine decided to move to Saudi Arabia in 2020 after his contract expired with Sevilla.

While he hasn't found the same success as he did with his previous club, he continues to put up classy performances for his current team, guiding them with his experience.

Brazil's sixth-highest goalscorer, Bebeto decided to end his career with one last move to Al Ittihad from Vasco Da Gama in 2002.

However, by the time he joined the Saudi Pro League, age had already caught up to him, with the Brazilian legend failing to make more than five appearances and scoring only one goal in his entire tenure with Al Ittihad.

The most expensive player in the Saudi Pro League at the time, Musa made a bold move from Leicester City to Al Nassr in 2018.

His €16.5m move was somewhat successful as he helped Al Nassr win the Saudi Pro League and Kings Cup during his three-season stay at the club.

Pereira was in the form of his life when he moved to Al Hilal in 2021. Despite West Brom getting relegated from the Premier League, he was their standout performer, and was wanted by multiple European clubs, but decided to go to the Saudi Pro League.

However, things haven't gone according to plan for both the club and the player, with the player only scoring three goals across 42 appearances.

In the summer of 2021, Aboubakar decided to add the Saudi Pro League to the long list of leagues he has played in, moving from Besiktas.

Before he could make a mark following an excellent World Cup display, the forward made way for Ronaldo and rejoined Besiktas at the beginning of 2023.

The Peruvian winger moved to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League on the back of two disappointing spells at Benfica in Portugal and Watford in England.

However, he turned things around at Al Hilal, and has been an important mainstay in the side as they won three Saudi Pro League titles.

Ospina decided to move to Al Nassr in the summer of 2022 after 14 successful years in Europe which saw him play for Nice, Arsenal and Napoli.

The Colombian player replicated his excellent displays for Al Nassr keeping nine clean sheets in 14 games, while only conceding six goals in his first season. However, his campaign was cut short due to an elbow fracture that kept him on the sidelines.

After getting a chance to play for his dream club Manchester United, Ighalo moved to Al Shabab in 2021, before moving to Al Hilal in 2022.

At both clubs, the former Watford forward impressed scoring 64 goals in 89 appearances while winning Saudi Pro League once and ending up as a runners-up in the Club World Cup.

The Brazilian holding midfielder decided to move from the Bundesliga to the Saudi Pro League and reunited with former manager Rudi Garcia in the summer of 2022.

Gustavo has impressed in his one season so far at Al Nassr, proving to be a pivotal piece in their starting eleven despite Garcia leaving before the season ended.

The former Barcelona man decided to end his short stint in the MLS with Los Angeles FC with a move to Al Fateh in January 2023.

While he hasn't achieved much with the club yet, individually he has put up promising performances, scoring four goals and providing four assists in 15 appearances.

The former Swansea striker joined Al Hilal in the summer of 2018 for a €7m fee from Galatasaray. It didn't take him too long to establish himself as one of the best players to have graced the Saudi Pro League.

Across four seasons, Gomis led Al Hilal to two Saudi Pro League titles and AFC Champions League successes, while scoring 116 goals in 154 matches, before returning to Galatasaray in 2022.