Sadio Mane left Liverpool as a club legend, scoring 120 goals in just under 270 appearances for the Red Brigade. However, his transfer to Bayern Munich was not as successful as expected. Mane was considered a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, despite rarely playing as a central striker at Liverpool and ultimately failing to thrive. Coach Thomas Tuchel publicly criticized the Senegal international for his “disappointing” season and his subsequent departure was inevitable.

After many years of success at Man City and especially winning the treble in the 2022/23 season, Mahrez decided it was time for new challenges. The Algerian player scored 78 goals and had 59 assists for the Manchester club. At 32 years old and having never relied on his pace, Mahrez could become a star in Saudi Arabia for years to come.

Kante helped Leicester do the unthinkable by lifting the Premier League championship, before becoming a mainstay of Chelsea. With three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a World Cup to his name, he will go down as one of the greatest central midfielders of all time. Although he is no longer at his peak, the French player is still one of the Saudi Pro League’s biggest summer signings.

Ruben Neves’ €55 million transfer from Wolves to Al-Hilal was the most expensive transfer in Saudi Pro League history at the time. The 26-year-old Portuguese midfielder became the youngest captain in Champions League history when he played for Porto and was a pillar of Wolves. He was contacted by many top clubs like Barca or MU but in the end chose to join Al-Hilal to enjoy a huge salary.

Once coveted by many big teams, Milinkovic-Savic finally left Lazio this summer after 8 years with him. The Serbian player joined Al-Hilal on a 3-year contract (until 2026 – when he will be 31 years old). Many people were truly shocked that such a top player would move to this league at the peak of his career.

Many people were surprised when Benzema left Real to go to Al-Ittihad as the reigning Golden Ball. Although he is 35 years old, he is still one of the best strikers in the world. Real also has no intention of replacing him as he still wears the team captain’s armband. But Benzema decided not to sign a new contract and went to Al-Ittihad. The French star is expected to set many new records in Saudi Arabia’s top football tournament.

Even though he is only 29 years old, Fabinho is no longer in his best form in the 2022/23 season and so Liverpool took the opportunity to sell him to Al-Ittihad for 46.7 million euros. The Brazilian played a key role in Liverpool’s success in the 2019 Champions League final and the 2019/20 Premier League season, providing defensive stability in a squad filled with too many attacking players. And he is also expected to help Al-Ittihad maintain dominance in the Saudi Pro League.

Mitrovic joined Al-Hilal in mid-August after weeks of trying to leave Fulham. The Serbian striker left the West London club as the 6th highest scorer in history (150 goals), and also their most expensive sale. The 28-year-old star is one of the leading candidates for the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League top scorer title and can lead Al-Hilal to major titles.

Malcom was recruited by Barca for 41 million euros. However, he only scored 4 goals in 24 appearances. Notably, Barca made a profit of 500,000 euros on the Brazilian winger when they sold him to Zenit a year later. Malcom had a flourishing time in Russia, scoring 42 goals in more than 100 appearances. This impressive form caused him to be recruited by Al-Hilal for 60 million euros. This player is also showing very fast integration, with 4 goals and 1 assist in just 5 matches.

Malcom’s transfer record was broken by compatriot Neymar when Al-Hilal spent 90 million euros to lure him away from PSG. After a happy time in Barcelona, Neymar went through a period of uncertainty in France and ultimately failed to win the Champions League or the Golden Ball – his two big goals when he arrived at Parc des Princes. Neymar was once considered the third best player of the 21st century, after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Therefore, his presence has made the Saudi Pro League an attractive tournament.