A seeming tidal wave of high-profile players have made the move from Europe to Saudi Arabia this summer.
The catalyst was, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo's big-money contract with Al Nassr in January following the World Cup, but the opening of the summer transfer window seemed to usher in a new era as several stars followed the Portuguese icon to the Middle East.
It may be tough to keep track of all the big names now employed at Saudi clubs, so here's a list of some of the more notable players at each team in the 18-club league.
Abha Club
- Felipe Caicedo
The former Ecuador international's move to Saudi Arabia actually predates that of Ronaldo, as Caicedo joined Abha Club in August 2022. With stints at Manchester City, Sporting, Lazio, Genoa and Inter Milan, Caicedo is no stranger to top-flight European football.
Al-Ahli Saudi
- Eduoard Mendy
- Roberto Firmino
- Riyad Mahrez
- Allan Saint-Maximin
- Franck Kessié
Arguably the best transfer window in the world this summer belongs to Al-Ahli, who landed five players from top clubs. While Mahrez, Firmino and Mendy are the biggest names of the five, 26-year-olds Saint-Maximin and Kessié present an alluring long-term potential for the club.
Al-Ettifaq
- Moussa Dembélé
- Jordan Henderson
Dembélé and Henderson arrived at Al-Ettifaq within a day of each other, but they represent different club-building strategies as the former is a striker still in his prime while the latter is a mid-30s midfielder with a ton of experience at the top levels of the game.
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the club's new manager, Steven Gerrard, who himself brings a massive amount of star power.
Al Fateh
- Cristian Tello
The former Barcelona, Porto, Fiorentina and Real Betis man (and once-capped Spain international) joined Al Fateh in January.
Al Fayha
- Vladimir Stojković
The 40-year-old goalkeeper has amassed 88 caps for Serbia and has had stints at Sporting and Wigan.
Al-Hazem
- Faïz Selemani
French-born Comoros international Selemani was one of Al-Hazem's bigger signings this summer.
Al Hilal SC
- André Carrillo
- Kalidou Koulibaly
- Rúben Neves
- Sergej Milinković-Savić
- Malcom
Longtime Peru International Carillo has been with Al Hilal since 2019, and this summer he's added Koulibaly, Neves, Milinković-Savić and Malcom as teammates. The latter four were landed in a spending spree by the club that cost a combined $192.5 million.
Al-Ittihad Club
- N'Golo Kanté
- Karim Benzema
- Jota
- Fabinho
Another Saudi side that had a tremendous summer transfer window, Al-Ittihad Club is the only team other than Al Nassr that can boast a former Ballon d'Or winner among its ranks. Coincidentally, it's the most recent Ballon d'Or winner in Benzema, who is joined by countryman Kanté, Jota and Fabinho — the latter three will form a fearsome midfield.
Al-Khaleej FC
- Jung Woo-young
While not the flashiest of names, Jung is a longtime South Korean international who will provide a wealth of experience to Al-Khaleej FC.
Al Nassr
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- David Ospina
- Seko Fofana
- Sadio Mané
- Marcelo Brozović
- Alex Telles
Ronaldo's move to the club is well-known, but Colombian goalkeeper Ospina was the first to transfer from a major European side to Al Nassr. This summer, the club have added Fofana, Mané, Brozović and Telles as they look to capture several trophies on offer.
Al-Okhdood
- Álex Collado
The 24-year-old striker is a promising talent that trained at the Barcelona academy and is on loan from Real Betis.
Al Raed
- Júlio Tavares
The Cape Verde international scored eight goals last season for Al Raed.
Al-Riyadh
- Martín Campaña
The Uruguay international joined Al-Riyadh this summer after several years with Al-Batin.
Al-Shabab
- Éver Banega
- Kim Seung-gyu
Former Argentina international Banega serves as the captain at Al-Shaba and has been at the club since 2020. Korean goalkeeper Kim joined in 2022.
Al Taawoun
- Álvaro Medrán
Having come up through the Real Madrid youth system, Medrán spent more time at the first-team level at other La Liga sides (Getafe, Valencia, Alaves, Rayo Vallecano).
Al-Tai
- Collins Fai
The Cameroonian defender spent nearly a decade representing his national side.
Al-Wehda
- Óscar Duarte
The longtime Costa Rica international has spent time at Club Brugge, Levante and Espanyol.
Damac
- Adam Maher
- Domagoj Antolić
Maher and Antolić have caps for Netherlands and Croatia, respectively.