Ranked! The 10 Highest Earning Footballers in the Saudi Pro League

The Saudi Pro League is gradually becoming every footballer’s preferred destination after Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a mega-money move to Al Nassr in December 2022.

After receiving top offers, the influx of foreign-based superstars, especially top players in Europe, that have switched to the Middle Eastern country this summer has increased tremendously.

Karim Benzema is leading this summer’s move to the Saudi Pro League after he turned down a contract renewal at Real Madrid to sign for Al Ittihad despite having a year left on his contract, Planet Football reports.

Chelsea’s duo of Ngolo Kante and Edouard Mendy have also moved to Saudi Arabia, while Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Rueben Neves of Wolves have also moved to the Middle East.

Here, Sports Brief, along with Planet Football, ranks the top highest-earning footballers who are currently signed to a Saudi Pro League club.

Top 10 highest-paid players

10. Ever Banega (Annual salary: £9.1million)

35-year-old Ever Banega clinched his third Europa League crown with Sevilla in 2020, before packing his bags and heading off to retire in the Middle East with Al Shabab.

9. Edouard Mendy (Annual salary: £9.4million)

A strong first season in London quickly derailed following injuries and a loss of form. Chelsea managed to cash in on the Senegal international Edouard Mendy after three years for around £17million, with Al-Ahli spending big ahead of just their second season back in the top flight.

8. Jota (Annual salary: £10million)

7. Ruben Neves (Annual salary: £15.6million)

Not afraid to speak up about his ambitions of playing in the Champions League, it was a shock to see Neves seal a deal to sign for Al-Hilal, with the Saudi side paying Wolves £47million to make it happen.

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6. Roberto Firmino (Annual salary: £17million)

After leaving Liverpool as a free agent after eight amazing years, speculation over Roberto Firmino's future was rampant.

While he was definitely still talented enough for a big European side, Al-Ahli won the competition for his signature, signing him to a three-year contract.

5. Marcelo Brozovic (Annual salary: £21million)

4. Kalidou Koulibaly (Annual salary: £30million)

Just 12 months after completing a £34million move to Chelsea, Koulibaly has already left the club after a disappointing debut season.

The Blues managed to cut their losses on the Senegalese defender by selling him to Al-Hilal for £20million.

3. Ngolo Kante (Annual salary: £86.2million)

Despite the fact that Ngolo Kante missed most of the 2022-23 season due to injury, Chelsea were resigned to losing him when Al-Ittiihad came knocking with such a monster offer for the French midfielder.

2. Karim Benzema (Annual salary: £172million)

Karim Benzema had a one-year extension at Real Madrid that would have lasted him through to 2024, but he chose to leave in order to accept a three-year contract with Saudi Pro League winners Al-Ittihad with a heft pay package.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Annual salary: £173million)

The world stood still when Cristiano Ronaldo waved goodbye to Manchester United and Europe’s top five leagues to put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Al-Nassr.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has since become not just the highest-paid footballer in Saudi Arabia but also in the world.

Saudi Pro League's foreign quota

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Saudi sides are causing utter chaos in the market, almost replicating what happened in the Chinese Super League a few years ago when the likes of Carlos Tevez, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Oscar, and many more were lured to the Far East for serious cash.

However, there is a cap on how many foreign players each team can have in their squad.

In 2016/17 the limit was four players and even a rule whereby no goalkeepers from abroad could be signed