The 15 Highest-Paid Players in the Saudi Pro League

During the 2023/24 season, several big names from European clubs chose to make a move to the Saudi Pro League, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese talisman’s move to Al-Nassr in December 2022 has undoubtedly acted as a catalyst, with even more stars joining him in the Middle East.

The likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, and many, many more all made the move in the summer of 2023. While the prospect of a new challenge might have played on their minds a little bit, the main motivation to seal a move was the riches that they would pocket. Former Wolves star Ruben Neves even admitted as much in December 2023, although he did also add that the ongoing project was another reason for making the switch.

Ronaldo, as the biggest star in the division, is pocketing an insane amount every week, with his name bringing eyes to the ever-growing brand. But who are the other stars who are close behind him in terms of earnings? Well, using figures from Capology, which tracks the salaries and contracts of footballers from around the world, we can see exactly who pockets the most money every week in the Saudi League. Spoiler alert – it’s not even close between numbers one and two.

1 Cristiano Ronaldo – Al-Nassr

£3.23 million per week

The trendsetter. The catalyst. The highest-paid player in football history. Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr saw many others follow in his footsteps, but none of them come close to the original in terms of earnings.

Pocketing twice as much as the man in second place, he remains the best-paid player in the Saudi League – and world football. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner signed a two-year deal with Al-Nassr in January 2023 and has very much put the Saudi Pro League on the map. So much so that a host of high-profile players have followed him there. Scoring the most goals in 2023 out of any other player in the world, it’s safe to say that the 39-year-old settled into his new surroundings nicely.

2 Neymar – Al-Hilal

£1.62 million per week

There was an element of surprise when Neymar swapped life in Paris for the Middle East. The most expensive player ever, in terms of cumulative transfer fees, made a £86m move in the summer of 2023 and was handed a huge contract for doing so.

But it’s fair to say that, so far, his move has not gone according to plan. Neymar has only played five times for Al-Hilal due to tearing his ACL during a World Cup qualifier for Brazil against Uruguay. His new club will hardly feel like he has been value for money so far, given that they are paying him an extortionate sum every week, but the 32-year-old has time to recover and prove them wrong.

3 Karim Benzema – Al-Ittihad

£1.62 million per week

Karim Benzema had the option to remain at Real Madrid for another year, but can you really blame him for signing a three-year deal at champions Al-Ittihad for well over £150 million? Many players would be hanging up their boots at the age of 35, but Benzema opted to make a new step in his career and earn a staggering amount of money in doing so.

Unlike the aforementioned Ronaldo, the Frenchman has struggled to settle in the Saudi Pro League, with fans of Al-Ittihad even giving him a harsh new nickname. Despite that, he has still performed well when he’s got onto the pitch for his new club, with 13 goals and eight assists in only 29 appearances during his debut season in the Middle East.

4 Riyad Mahrez – Al-Ahli

£843.6k per week

He might come in fourth on this list, but Riyad Mahrez is some way behind the top trio in terms of earnings, taking home nearly 50% of what Neymar and Benzema pocket. Nevertheless, his salary of £8.3 million a year while at Manchester City looks like relative chicken feed when compared to the frankly obscene sum he is now on at Al-Ahli.

Earning more than five times what he was earning while sporting the Sky Blue of City, the Algerian international is pulling off the same tricks for Al-Ahli that fans of the Premier League got to see on a weekly basis. Twelve goals and 14 assists at the time of writing suggest that he’s been worth the hefty sum he’s being paid every week, even if Al-Ahli did miss out on the Saudi Pro League title in his first year at the club.

5 Sadio Mane – Al-Nassr

£646.4k per week

To say Sadio Mane’s time at Bayern Munich was underwhelming wouldn’t be an unfair evaluation of the year the Senegalese forward endured in the Bundesliga. The winger who many a Premier League fan was accustomed to witnessing tear English defences apart for Liverpool and Southampton fell out of favour in Bavaria, and even had a physical confrontation with teammate, Leroy Sane.

Getting a move away from the Allianz was therefore the number one priority for Mane. Signing for Al-Nassr to link up with Cristiano Ronaldo, the 32-year-old put pen to paper on a deal which sees him take home roughly £33.5 million a year. That puts him just inside the top five, and just above another former Premier League player.

6 Kalidou Koulibaly – Al-Hilal

£560.8k per week

Chelsea fans were incredibly confident they had signed the perfect defender to compliment Thiago Silva in Kalidou Koulibaly, so much so that they gave him John Terry’s old number. However, the Senegalese defender had a difficult year at Stamford Bridge and was moved on in 2023 for £20m.

However, having been on roughly £295,000 per week in west London, the 33-year-old nearly doubled his wages by joining Al-Hilal. He even admitted in an interview that a big reason why he made the move was because of the outrageous sum of money on the table.

He has been a steady presence at the back for Al-Hilal since joining too, putting his defensive mishaps in the Premier League behind him to guide his new team to the Saudi Pro League title in the 2023/24 campaign.

7 N’Golo Kante – Al-Ittihad

£404k per week

N’Golo Kante found himself in a tough spot at Chelsea, with injuries and fitness issues keeping him out for 38 games in his final season at Stamford Bridge. The Blues clearly decided that the dynamic midfielder was past his prime and opted against offering him a new contract, which left Al-Ittihad with a free run at him in the summer of 2023.

Keen to bring in one of the best defensive midfielders ever, the club offered him a hefty sum which saw Kante increase his weekly wage by over £100k. He’s been a fairly constant presence in the engine room so far too, playing 44 games in his first term. Given Chelsea’s struggles at present, maybe they were too quick to move Kante on.

8 Aleksandar Mitrovic – Al-Hilal

£404k per week

Aleksandar Mitrovic had an excellent season leading the line for Fulham in 2022/23, scoring a respectable 14 Premier League goals to help push the Cottagers clear of the relegation zone. But when Al-Hilal came calling, the Serbian was desperate to make the switch, with Marco Silva claiming that he ‘forced’ a move.

A big reason why he did so was likely because of the sheer amount of money being offered to him. Having been on just over £92k a week at Craven Cottage, his take-home pay has risen exponentially. With 40 goals in all competitions from 43 games in his debut season, he certainly seems to be value for money – especially compared to what some of the other players on this list have done since moving to the Saudi League.

9 Sergej Milinković-Savić – Al-Hilal

£404k per week

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic makes it into the top 10 after becoming one of the younger players to make a big move from Europe to the Middle East. Pocketing the same amount of money every week as Kante and compatriot Mitrovic, the former Lazio midfielder actually quadrupled his wages when he signed for Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023.

Often linked with a move to the Premier League before moving to Saudi Arabia, including a potential signing for Manchester United before the Red Devils bought Fred, the 29-year-old has made a blistering start at Al-Hilal. His 12 goals and 17 assists in all competitions have helped fire his club to the league title. With two more years left to run on his current deal, Milinkovic-Savic could play a part in a lot more success in the years to come.

10 Aymeric Laporte

£395.9k per week

Aymeric Laporte proved he’s perhaps too young to be playing in the Saudi Pro League as he dominated at Euro 2024 and helped Spain to glory. After falling out of favour under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the centre-back decided to move to Saudi Arabia despite interest from several elite European clubs.

It’s clear to see why, as Laporte takes home just shy of £400,000 each week. The 30-year-old could still be one of the best defenders on the European stage of he decided to return to either Spain or England, but it appears the former Premier League champions is content in his new environment.

All salaries in this article are courtesy of Capology and statistics come from Transfermarkt (Correct as of 23/07/2024)