Five Top Stars Who Could Join Ronaldo, Karim Benzema in Saudi Arabia

• The Saudi Arabian League is on the hunt for Europe’s top stars
• Karim Benzema recently made the move to join Al-Ittihad
• Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, and Jordi Alba look set to join Benzema in Saudi Arabia

Al-Nassr snapped up Cristiano Ronaldo last December and it has brought commercial success to the Saudi Pro League.

The Portuguese forward had his contract terminated by Manchester United before moving for free.

The success of Ronaldo's move to the Middle East has been quickly followed by Al-Ittihad’s signing of Real Madrid forward, Karim Benzema.

Saudi’s sports minister was quoted by Sport as saying:

“Benzema and Messi? The clubs will officially announce this in due course.”

It’s little surprise that Al-Hilal have the Argentine Lionel Messi on their radar as they look to rival Al-Nassr with the move. A host of other players are tipped to join the Saudi professional league, and Sports Brief takes a look at five players linked with a move to the Middle East.

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Football

Lionel Messi

The mercurial Argentine bade farewell to PSG at the end of the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season.

He walks away as a two-time Ligue 1 title winner, but his stint in France has not played out entirely as planned – with disgruntled supporters turning against him.

An emotional return to Barcelona has been speculated, along with a move to the MLS, but Messi is said to have an offer on the table from Al-Hilal that would make him the highest-paid player on the planet.

Sergio Ramos

The former Real Madrid captain is another player who severed ties with PSG at the conclusion of the Ligue 1 campaign.

The Spanish icon Ramos followed former Barcelona rival Messi to Parc des Princes in the summer of 2021. Injuries stunted his early progress in France, but the 37-year-old centre-half remains a classy operator on his day. His vast experience would be of obvious interest to clubs around the world.

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Football

Alexis Sanchez

Chilean forward, Alexis Sanchez has got his career back on track following forgettable spells at Manchester United and Inter Milan.

He has thrived in France with Marseille, netting 18 times in 44 appearances in the 2022/23 campaign. At 34 years of age, he may be tempted to land one more lucrative contract in the Middle East before hanging up his boots.

Sergio Busquets

The Spanish World Cup winner has spent his entire career to date on the books at Barcelona, earning a reputation as one of the greatest holding midfielders to have ever played the game. Busquets – like Andres Iniesta and Xavi before him – has decided to experience something new outside of Camp Nou before calling it a day.

A move to America is speculated, but the midfielder could find himself heading to Saudi Arabia.

Jordi Alba

Barcelona agreed to the early termination of Alba’s contract, which was due to run until 2024, meaning that he is free to find another club if the right opportunity presents itself.

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Football

The buccaneering left-back could be reunited with Messi, with whom he previously enjoyed a productive partnership in Catalunya, if the supposed interest from Al-Hilal is followed up.

Ronaldo welcomes stars to Saudi

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Cristiano Ronaldo welcomed the idea of top football stars joining the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo made the bold move of swapping Europe for the Middle East after penning a lucrative deal with Al-Nassr in January, on the back of his acrimonious exit from Manchester United.

Speaking on the prospect of seeing big players switch to the Gulf state, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner - who has predicted the Saudi League to be among the best in the world in the coming years - suggested their presence in the competition will help in improving its quality.