A busy summer of transfer dealings has seen the Saudi Pro League become a juggernaut of football almost overnight.
With the division now brimming with talent, fans from across the world are tuning in to watch some of the game’s finest players go head-to-head.
However, keeping up with all the action is tough, which is why we’ve put together a handy Events Calendar and cherry-picked a few must-see games taking place over the coming weeks to help ease the load.
But first, here’s a little bit more information on one of football’s fastest-growing sensations.
Which Team Does Cristiano Ronaldo Play For?
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo started the European exodus to Saudi Arabia when he shocked the world by putting pen-to-paper on a lucrative two-and-a-half-year contract with Al Nassr.
The Portuguese star’s emotional return to Manchester United was cut short by a reported bust-up with manager Erik Ten Hag, who was said to have punished the mega-star for storming out of a clash with Tottenham before full-time.
Ronaldo ended up leaving the club by mutual consent, meaning Al Nassr were free to swoop in and secure his services.
According to famed Italian sports journalist, Fabrizio Romano, CR7 is earning an eye-watering $200m – making him the highest-paid player in world football.
The club have seen a fine return on their investment, however. The 38-year-old has found the net 10 times in just 7 league appearances this season, continuing his march towards a staggering 900 career goals.
Who Does Steven Gerrard Manage?
When England and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard led Rangers to their first league title in 10 years, it looked as if he was destined to emulate the successes of his playing career in management.
However, after a sticky spell with Aston Villa, he too found himself heading to Saudi Arabia in search of a new challenge with Al-Ettifaq.
Gerrard was quick to make the side his own by making several marquee signings, including former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, Demarai Gray, Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Dembélé, and Jack Hendry.
It’s been a steady start to the campaign for Gerrard and Al-Ettifaq. They currently sit in eighth place having won five of their eight encounters.
What Other Stars Are Playing In The Saudi Pro League?
It was a busy summer of business for Saudi Arabian clubs, who all battled to outdo each other in the transfer market.
Near enough every major star was linked with a move to the Middle East at some stage during the window, and several high-profile deals did come to fruition.
Neymar was the most expensive purchase, with Al Hilal forking out a reported €90m to secure his services from PSG.
Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema and fellow Frenchman N’Golo Kante joined defending champions Al Ittihad, while Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy made the switch to rivals Al Ahli from Chelsea.
Al Ahli also made moves for Franck Kessie, Allan Saint-Maximin, Roberto Firmino, and Manchester City talisman Riyad Mahrez, who signed for a fee of around £30m.
Kalidou Koulibaly was another player who left Chelsea for the Saudi Pro League. The towering central defender joined Neymar at Al Hilal and was closely followed by highly-rated Serbian star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Wolves captain Ruben Neves.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr broke out the chequebook to add Aymeric Laporte, Otavio, Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic, and Anderson Talisca to their ranks.
It’s also worth mentioning that Al Ittihad and Al-Hilal both made world-record bids north of £200m for Liverpool frontman Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappé respectively.
Fixtures To Keep An Eye On
With games coming thick and fast it’s easy to lose track of what’s going on in the Saudi Pro League. If you want to keep up to date with the crammed fixture list then the only place to go is the Gymfluencers Events Calendar.
Here you’ll find all the key details such as the date, kick-off time, where it’s being played, and a little rundown on each side. To get you started we’ve picked out a few upcoming games that you don’t want to miss.
Al-Hilal vs Al-Khaleej
Table toppers Al-Hilal will look to continue their unbeaten start to the season when they take on Al-Khaleej at the King Fahd International Stadium on October 19 at 9pm.
It’ll be worth tuning in just to see Neymar weave some of his Brazilian magic.
Al-Nassr vs Damac
One thing’s guaranteed when Cristiano Ronaldo is on the pitch – goals. The Portuguese star will attempt to add to his already impressive tally when Al-Nassr faces strugglers Damac on October 20.
The game is being played at the KSU Football Field and kicks off at 9pm local time.
Al-Ittihad vs Al-Hazm
Matchday 11 sees second-placed Al-Ittihad welcome rock-bottom Al-Hazm to the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium. Former Real Madrid hitman Karim Benzema is the man to keep an eye on in this fixture.
The tie kicks off at 9pm on October 26.
Al-Hilal vs Al-Ahli
This is a game that has a ‘Clash of the Titans’ feel to it. While we’ve already discussed Neymar’s Al Hilal at length, Al-Ahli have talent such as Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, and Franck Kessie in their ranks.
The match will be played at the King Fahd International Stadium on October 27. Kick-off is once again 9pm local time.
For more fixtures head to the Gymfluencers Events Calendar, your one-stop-shop for all things football.
