The 15 best players in the Saudi Pro League right now ft. Ronaldo, Benzema and Mané | OneFootball

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Many star names have made the move from European football to the Saudi Pro League through the summer transfer window meaning the talent on display is quite ridiculous.

There is an expectation that even more big name players will be heading to the Middle East in the near future and in years to come.

As a result, the talent pool is just going to deepen and the overall game in Saudi Arabia will become more and more competitive.

Huge transfer fees will continue to tempt selling clubs, and massive wage offers will continue to attract players to join the league in order to sort their families out for generations to come financially.

While many of the players to make this move have been in the latter stages of their careers, reports emerged that Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen, has been the subject of a bid worth around £120 million.

The Nigerian is heading into the peak years of his career in the coming years and would be an incredible signing.

As that is a transfer that has not been made as things stand, Osimhen does not make this list, but we take a look at the 15 best players now plying their trade in Saudi Arabia.

15 Edouard Mendy

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Edouard Mendy of Chelsea looks on during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Chelsea FC at Goodison Park on August 06, 2022 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Having lost his place in the Chelsea starting lineup during the 2022/23 season to Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Senegalese goalkeeper decided to head for the exit door.

He was initially brought to Stamford Bridge to replace the Spaniard, but his poor form at the start of the campaign meant the decision was reversed.

Even despite this bad spell of form, Mendy is still a Champions League winning goalkeeper as he started the 1-0 final win over Manchester CIty in 2021.

Perhaps a loss of confidence was the reason behind the mistakes he made during his final 12 months with the Blues, and he now has a chance to get this confidence back.

14 Ever Banega

The Argentine midfielder is best known for the time he spent in Spain with Valencia and Sevilla, but he has actually been one of the top players in Saudi Arabia for years now.

In 2020, Banega ended his second spell with Sevilla to move to Al Shabab, where he is still playing to this day.

At 35-years-old, he is still technically brilliant as he always was, having lost a yard of pace.

He was never one to rely on physical aspects of his game in his younger years, so he needs them even less now.

Banega will still feel confident about holding his own against many of the new imports into the league.

13 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Lazio have lost one of their star men to Al Hilal this summer with midfielder Milinkovic-Savic leaving after eight years at the club.

The Serbian international currently holds the record as the highest scoring midfielder at Lazio with 57 goals.

He is now set to spend his prime in Saudi Arabia earning a lucrative wage.

12 Anderson Talisca

As with Banega, the Brazilian has been playing in the Saudi Pro League for a couple of years.

Talisca was ahead of the curve when transferring to Al Nassr in 2021 from China.

He has only played 60 games for his club and has netted an impressive 43 goals in that time.

The 29-year-old attacking midfielder is now at a good age to be competitive in a league that is only going to get more competitive.

11 Kalidou Koulibaly

Only 12 months ago, Premier League fans were excited about the prospect of finally seeing the Senegalese centre-back playing in the English top flight as he joined Chelsea from Napoli.

His time in Italy had earned him a reputation as one of the top defenders in Europe.

A wonderful goal against Tottenham kicked off his career in London in brilliant fashion, but things only went downhill from there.

He only made 23 appearances for the entire season, with form and injuries getting in his way, before leaving only a year later.

10 Rúben Neves

There would have been many top European clubs interested in the Portuguese midfielder as he finally called time on his Wolves career.

Barcelona appeared to be the front-runners to secure his signature, but the Spanish giants' financial issues put a stop to any potential deal.

Neves was the main man at Molineux as he was handed the captain's armband for his final season with the club.

Despite being around for a long time now, he is still at a very young age and could potentially move back to Europe by the time he is in his prime.

9 Marcelo Brozovic

MILAN, ITALY - MAY 06: Marcelo Brozovic of FC Internazionale looks on during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Empoli FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 06, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The Croatian has just come off the back of a brilliant campaign after being a vital part of an Inter Milan side that came within one game of winning the Champions League.

He was also at the heart of a Croatia side that finished third place in the 2022 World Cup in December, alongside Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic.

Brozovic is solid in the tackle but also deft on the ball, a difficult combination for opponents to deal with.

8 Allan Saint-Maximin

The Saudi Arabian league has gained a true entertainer in the Frenchman.

Saint-Maximin did not appear to be at the forefront of Newcastle's plans under Eddie Howe despite being the best player in the side during the harder years before.

Any full-back in the Premier League knew that they had a long day ahead of them when he was lined up against them, and it will be no different in a new league.

7 Fabinho

A move for the Brazilian has been confirmed for a fee of £40 million despite a poor season last time out.

The midfielder was a huge part of Liverpool's recent success as the destroyer in the middle of the park, winning a Premier League title and a Champions League.

His form returned towards the back end of the season with the Reds going on an unbeaten run.

That is why it may come as a shock that Jurgen Klopp allowed his defensive midfielder to move on this summer.

6 Roberto Firmino

Another Brazilian moving from Liverpool to Saudi, Firmino is in the same camp as Fabinho.

It was announced that his successful eight-year stay with the English club would come to an end upon the expiry of his contract.

Al Ahli were the team he chose to sign for, with interest from all around the world rumoured.

The silky forward managed to find the net 11 times in only 25 appearances in his last dance at Anfield.

5 Riyad Mahrez

Mahrez is in an incredible position in life at the moment having made a big move to Saudi Arabia to make big money.

This comes off the back of winning a historic treble with Manchester CIty as they wrapped up the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Brozovic's Inter Milan.

Averaging a goal contribution every two games last season is not a bad return due to the nature of Pep Guardiola's rotation.

Mahrez is still one of the best dribblers and his new league is in for a treat.

4 Sadio Mané

The third former Liverpool star to head to the rising league, Mané was confirmed as an Al Nassr player after an unsuccessful time at Bayern Munich.

He was part of the Bundesliga winning squad, but never really showed the blistering form Premier League fans would be familiar with from his time at Liverpool and Southampton.

Nevertheless, he goes down as a legend at Anfield as he was one of the finest players in the world at his best.

3 N'Golo Kanté

There is an argument that Kanté was the most important player in the world during the 2015/16 season as he came in to Leicester City and provided the engine to the most unlikely Premier League winning side ever.

The Frenchman was relentless in his defensive work and underrated in his ability with the ball at his feet as he earned a move to Chelsea.

It is no coincidence that his arrival transformed the Blues and led them to their own league win.

Injuries have slowed his career down in recent years unfortunately and his time in England came to a close in disappointing fashion.

2 Karim Benzema

The football world was stunned when the news broke that current Ballon d'Or holder, Benzema, was heading to Al Ittihad following a trophy heavy decade at Real Madrid.

He scored 354 goals for the Spanish side as he became one of the best strikers in the world.

An underwhelming campaign turned out to be the final one for one third of the famous Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo frontline.

1 Cristiano Ronaldo

The only man that could have competed for top spot on this list was Lionel Messi if he had not gone to the MLS.

Ronaldo is in discussions as one of the best players of all time, never mind currently playing in the Saudi Pro League.

A career goal haul of 838 is all that needs to be said for the Portuguese icon, who made the move slightly earlier than the rest of the players from Europe.