The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia has paved the way for other major players to join the Saudi Pro League this summer.
After Cristiano Ronaldo last January, the Saudi Pro League passed the second. This summer, Saudi clubs managed to snatch a multitude of big names from European football. With more than 800 million euros invested (according to the specialist site Transfermarkt), Saudi Arabia is second in the ranking of the highest spending championships in the transfer window, behind England. Between Golden Balls, Champions League winners, European champions and World champions, the stars jostled in the kingdom. The writing of franceinfo: sportYou made up the eleven type of the championship, made up of the best players who arrived this summer.
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Attack: Mahrez-Benzema-Neymar, a world-class trio
This is undoubtedly the line on which the Saudi Pro League has bet the most. There is no real debate on the right side where no one can compete with Algerian international Riyad Mahrez. Winner of the last Champions League with Manchester City and five Premier League titles, the former Le Havre player signed with Al-Ahli. Up front, who other than Karim Benzema to score the goals? The 2022 Ballon d’Or, who won everything in nine seasons with Real Madrid, is the head of Al-Ittihad.
On the left, the choice was difficult between Neymar signed with Al-Hilal and Sadio Mané who signed with Al-Nassr. Although the former Paris Saint-Germain striker has been the subject of much criticism in Ligue 1, he remains one of the most gifted players in history. The one who is also the most expensive in history since his transfer from Barcelona to Paris in 2017, for 222 million euros, has just overtaken Pelé in the Brazilian selection. Opposite, Mané is coming out of a failed season with Bayern Munich which almost made him forget his second place in the ranking of the last Ballon d’Or.
Midfield: Kanté-Henderson-Fabinho, the Premier League in exile
The 2018 world champion, N’Golo Kanté became Karim Benzema’s teammate at Al-Ittihad, after delighting Blues supporters for seven years. The man with three lungs, winner of the 2021 Champions League with Chelsea and two English championship titles, is the headliner of the trio selected by the editorial staff.
Two other now ex-Premier League players accompany him, two well-known faces at Liverpool. First, the former Monaco player, the Brazilian Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), then the emblematic captain of the Reds (with whom he had played since 2011), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq). The two men participated in the Champions League coronation of the English club in 2019. They were preferred to ex-Lensois Seko Fofana, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, less known internationally, but no less talented .
Defense: a Denayer-Koulibaly-Laporte-Telles line
Investments have not been as significant in the defensive sector, even if some recruits are well known from the five major European championships (England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France). For the hinge, we opted for Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr) and Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal). The first, a Spanish international after almost playing for the France team, was from Manchester City’s epic victory in the last Champions League. The second, captain of Senegal, built his reputation as a solid defender in Naples, where he spent eight years.
On the left, competition was not fierce. Brazilian international Alex Telles (Al-Nassr) easily won his ticket, who reunited with Cristiano Ronaldo after having rubbed shoulders with him at Manchester United. Loaned last year to Seville, he won the 2022-2023 Europa League. On the right, only the former Lyonnais Jason Denayer (Al-Fateh) seems to be able to assume this position, which he has already experienced in the Belgian selection.
Goalkeeper: Mendy rather than Bounou
At the goalkeeper position, the choice fell on Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli), who needed to revive after three declining years at Chelsea. The one who revealed himself late in Reims in Ligue 1, after experiencing unemployment, is not just anyone. Voted best goalkeeper in the world in 2021, a year which saw him win the Champions League and the African Cup of Nations, he has a more successful track record than his competitor Yassine Bounou, who was brilliant with Morocco during the last Global.
Coach: Steven Gerrard, a legend on the bench
He marked the history of Liverpool. Former Reds midfielder Steven Gerrard joined Al-Ettifaq in July. He is the best known among the coaches who arrived in Saudi Arabia, even if his time on a Premier League bench, at Aston Villa, was not conclusive, not even lasting a year. His credentials at the highest level come from his time with Glasgow Rangers, in Scotland, between 2018 and 2021. On a sporting level, Jorge Jesus (Al-Hilal), on the other hand, is much more experienced, with almost 35 years of career and five Portuguese championship titles with Benfica.