Who are five major football stars signed by Saudi clubs this season?

Players like Karim Benzema, Hakim Ziyech, and Ruben Neves will make their debuts with Saudi clubs in 2023.

Al Hilal, the Saudi Arabian club, has reportedly made a staggering offer of £259 million for Paris Saint-Germain's forward Kylian Mbappe, setting a potential world-record bid. The 24-year-old French captain, who still has one year remaining on his contract, is unwilling to renew it with the PSG. Now, it remains to be seen to which side will the French superstar drift.

With their transfer activities, the Saudi Professional League took the football world by storm in 2023. It has attracted some of the best players in the world, who usually preferred to play in European leagues.

Also Read | Al Hilal make world record £259mn bid for PSG star Kylian Mbappe: Reports

It all began after Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Rolando sent shockwaves with his switch to Al Nassr in January 2023. Ever since, everybody has their eyes glued to the Saudi Pro League.

But, wait! The fun doesn't end here. The oil-rich Arab nation's football league hasn't stopped their bidding game after acquiring Ronaldo. Legendary players like Karim Benzema, Hakim Ziyech, and Ruben Neves etc will also make their debuts with Saudi clubs in 2023.

Let's glance through the top five names who will be representing Saudi clubs starting this season.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr
This is that one transfer that had the tongues wagging. The Portuguese captain's fans are still shocked after Ronado decided to make a move to Al Nassr after quitting Manchester United. The former Man-U winger has scored 14 goals in 16 matches, almost winning the title for Al Nassr despite playing only half a season with them. Ronaldo joined Al Nassr on a two-year contract which will, at the end of the contractual two years, will make him richer by an astonishing figure of €400 million, according to a Goal.com report. This also makes him the world's highest paid athelete ever.

2. Karim Benzema | Al Ittihad
This former Real Madrid forward took many by surprise with his move to Al Ittihad. Football pundits were expecting Benzema to stick with Los Blancos for another year. However, the star had other plans, and Al Ittihad didn't waste any moment to embrace him. Benzema will earn a staggering €100 million per season along with a bonus of €20 million as an ambassador to promote Saudi Arabia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030. This brings his total earnings to be not a penny less than €120 million.

3. Ruben Neves | Al Hilal
Neves was signed by Al Hilal for a mind-boggling €55 million, Reuters reported. Former Wolves player shocked many with his switch. Interestingly, his contract with Wolves was due to expire in 2024, and many European clubs, especially Barcelona, almost bagged him too. However, Al Hillal had their minds set on what they wanted.

4. Kalidou Koulibaly | Al Hillal
Koulibaly moved from Chelsea to join Al Hillal for a whopping sum of $21.61 million. The Senegalese defender had an underwhelming performance at Stamford Bridge, mainly due to inconsistent form and injuries. With his move to the Saudi Pro League, Koulibaly would want to undo his past performances and push the envelope.

5. N'Golo Kante | Al Ittihad
Kante joined his teammate Benzema at Al Ittihad in July 2023. After scaling heights at Chelsea, Kante decided its time quit his home club and play for Saudi Pro League. He is remembered for heroics that won his team the Premier League and Blues the Champions League. He will reportedly earn around $100 million during his time with the Saudi club.

The current world transfer record is the €222 million PSG paid to sign Brazilian star Neymar from Barcelona in August 2017.

(With IANS inputs)