Saudi Arabia league's top scorers: who are the goal machines in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia league's top scorers: who are the goal machines in Saudi Arabia?

Grace Waruguru
updated at November 14, 2023 at 5:33 PM
In this article:
Cristiano Ronaldo logo
C. Ronaldo
Al Nassr FC logoFPortugal logo
Sadio Mané logo
S. Mané
Al Nassr FC logoFSenegal logo
Karim Benzema logo
K.Benzema
Al-Ittihad Club logoFFrance logo

Who are the Saudi Arabia League's top scorers? The league is the highest division of association football in the Saudi league system and has produced some of the best footballers globally. Check out the list of prolific players whose goal-scoring abilities have set them at the league's top.

Saudi Arabia league top scorer,
Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Saudi Arabia League in December 2022. Photo: Justin Setterfield (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

The Saudi Arabian league has acquired several talented players in the recent past, including Ronaldo and Sadio Mane. Their attractive agreements have seen the league become star-studded and ultimately more competitive. Who are the Saudi Arabia League's top scorers? Read on and find out.

Saudi Arabia League: top scorers in 2023

The league has 18 teams competing annually for the title. Here is a ranked list of the ‌Saudi Arabia League top scorers as of November 2023:

10. Abderrazak Hamdallah: 5 goals

Saudi Arabia league top scorer 2023
Abderrazak Hamdallah during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Zhizhao Wu (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Abderrazak Hamdallah
  • Nickname: The Executioner
  • Nationality: Moroccan
  • Date of birth: December 17, 1990
  • Team: Al-Ittihad
  • Position: Forward

Abderrazak Hamdallah is a Moroccan striker ranking among the Saudi Arabia League top scorers now. His scoring prowess earned him the nickname ''The Executioner.'' The athlete is the current Golden Boot holder (As of November 2023) after scoring 21 goals in the last season. Hamdallah represents Al-Ittihad, which he joined in 2021. He also plays for his country's national team.

He previously played for Al Nassr between 2018 and 2021. In the 2018/2019 season, he was the world's leading scorer with 57 goals. Abderrazak holds several accolades, including the Globe Soccer Awards for Best Arab Player (2019) and the Asian Champions League top scorer (2020).

9. Sadio Mané: 6 goals

top 10 Saudi Arabia League top scorer 2023
Sadio Mané of Al Nassr reacts during the match between Al-Nassr and Abha at King Saud University Stadium on October 06, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Francois Nel (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Sadio Mané
  • Nickname: Ronaldinho, Firmino
  • Nationality: Senegalese
  • Date of birth: April 10, 1992
  • Team: Al Nassr
  • Position: Forward, winger

Sadio Mané is recognized as one of the greatest African players ever and one of the Saudi Arabia League's top scorers in 2023. The Senegalese joined Al Nassr in 2023 after exiting Bayern Munich and plays for the Senegalese national team. Mané is known for his striking speed on the pitch and has bagged numerous awards.

8. Malcom: 6 goals

Saudi Arabia League top scorer 2023 list
Malcom of Al Hilal celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the match between Abha and Al-Hilal at Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Sport City on August 14, 2023, in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Yasser Bakhsh (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira
  • Nickname: Malcom
  • Nationality: Brazilian
  • Date of birth: February 26, 1997
  • Team: Al Hilal
  • Position: Forward, winger

One of Saudi Arabia's League top scorers this season is Malcom, a Brazillian forward and winger for Al Hilal. He joined the franchise in July 2023 and plays for the national team. In the 2022/2023 season was the top scorer with Zenit Saint Petersburg, scoring 23 goals. The team also won the Russian Premier League title.

7. Salem Al-Dawsari: 7 goals

Saudi Arabia League top scorer 2024
Salem Al-Dawsari speaks to the press after winning the AFC Player of the Year award during the AFC Annual Awards Doha 2022 on October 31, 2023, in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Mohamed Farag (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Salem Mohammed Shafi Al-Dawsari
  • Nickname: Salem
  • Nationality: Saudi Arabian
  • Date of birth: August 19, 1991
  • Team: Al Hilal
  • Position: Winger

Salem joined Al Hilal as a youth. He also plays for the Saudi Arabian national team and gained popularity when he scored the winning goal against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup. With his upward trajectory, he will likely be among the Saudi Arabia League's top scorers in 2024, with seven goals this season. He has scored 22 goals for the national team in 80 appearances.

6. Mourad Batna: 7 goals

  • Full name: Mourad Batna
  • Nickname: Batna
  • Nationality: Moroccan
  • Date of birth: June 27, 1990
  • Team: Al Fateh
  • Position: Winger

With seven goals in the 2023/2024 season, Moroccan footballer Mourad Batna ranks among Saudi Arabia's League top scorers 2023 list. He joined his current club, Al Fateh, in 2020 from Al-Jazira, which he was part of from 2019 to 2020.

5. Moussa Dembélé: 7 goals

Saudi Arabia League top scorers all time
Moussa Dembele of Lyon during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Olympique Lyonnais and FC Nantes at Groupama Stadium on May 14, 2022, in Lyon, France. Photo: Marcio Machado (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Moussa Dembélé
  • Nickname: The Doctor
  • Nationality: French
  • Date of birth: July 12, 1996
  • Team: Al Ettifaq
  • Position: Forward

Moussa Dembélé, a French footballer, also makes it to the Saudi Arabia League top scorer list. He is a striker for Al Ettifaq, which he joined in July 2023. Previously, Dembele, popularly known as ''The Doctor,'' played on loan for Fulham and Al Atletico Madrid. He was named Celtic's top scorer in 2016/2017.

4. Karim Benzema: 8 goals

Saudi Arabia League top scorer now
Karim Benzema of Al-Ittihad during the match between Al-Shabab and Al-Ittihad at Al-Shabab Club Stadium on November 03, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Justin Setterfield (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Karim Mostafa Benzema
  • Nickname: Coco
  • Nationality: French
  • Date of birth: December 19, 1987
  • Team: Al Ittihad
  • Position: Striker

Karim is one of the Saudi Arabia League table and top scorers. Additionally, he is among Real Madrid's all-time second-highest goalscorers. The French athlete joined Al Ittihad in June 2023 and has eight goals as of November 2023. Benzema received the Ballon d'Or in 2022.

3. Anderson Talisca: 8 goals

 Saudi Arabia League top scorer list
Talisca of Al-Nassr during the match between Al- Nassr and Al-Ahli at King Saud University Stadium on September 22, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Francois Nel (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Anderson Souza Conceição
  • Nickname: Talisca
  • Nationality: Brazillian
  • Date of birth: February 1, 1994
  • Team: Al Nassr
  • Position: Midfielder

Anderson Talisca has played for several clubs, including Guangzhou Evergrande and Benfica. He is among Saudi Arabia's all-time top scorers, with eight in the 2023/2024 season (As of November 2023). The 29-year-old joined Al Nassr in 2021.

2. Aleksandar Mitrović: 10 goals

 Saudi Arabia League top scorer this season
Aleksandar Mitrovic of Serbia during the UEFA EURO 2024 European qualifier match between Hungary and Serbia at Puskas Arena on October 14, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. Photo: Srdjan Stevanovic (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Aleksandar Mitrović
  • Nickname: Mitro
  • Nationality: Serbian
  • Date of birth: September 16, 1994
  • Team: Al Hilal
  • Position: Striker

Aleksandar is a 29-year-old Serbian football player representing Al Hilal and the Saudi Arabian national team. He is Serbia's all-time record goal scorer, with over 57 goals in 85 appearances. Mitrović transitioned to his current team in August 2023 and has scored 10 goals.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: 13 goals

Saudi Arabia League table and top scorer
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr during the match between Al-Nassr and Al-Khaleej at King Saud University Stadium on November 04, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Justin Setterfield (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
  • Nickname: CR7, GOAT, El Comandante
  • Nationality: Portuguese
  • Date of birth: February 5, 1985
  • Team: Al Nassr
  • Position: Forward

Cristiano Ronaldo's achievements in football have been evident since his career debut in 2002. The Al Nassr and Portugal forward is a five-time Ballon d'Or and Arab Club Champions Cup winner (2023). CR7 has 13 goals so far, and fans can expect more from this legend.

Frequently asked questions

In the list of the best Saudi Arabian league scorers, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mourad Batna, and Malcom were mentioned by ESPN for 2023. Naturally, the subject of 'top scorer' raises many questions. These are the most popular queries:

Who is Al Nassr's all-time top scorer?

Al Nassr has been home to some of the finest footballers in history. According to thesportsmania.in, Majed Ahmed Abdullah is the franchise's top scorer, boasting 189 goals, making him the Saudi Arabia League top scorer of all time. He made the lead scorer six times in the league and retired in April 1998.

Which team is on top of the Saudi Pro League?

Saudi Arabia League top scorers
Al Ittihad's Karim Benzema warms up before a match against Abha Club at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium on November 10, 2023, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Yasser Bakhsh (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

According to foxsports.com, Al Hilal is the leading club in the league with 35 points (As of November 2023). The club also has the most championships since the league was founded (18). It is followed closely by Al Nassr F.C., which has 31 points, and Al-Ahli Saudi with 26 points.

Final word

The Saudi Arabia League was founded in 1976 and has become one of the most attractive for professional footballers. These individuals have built their portfolios and earn a luxurious living thanks to their skill on the pitch. As the race for the Golden Boot continues, fans will watch to see who will claim the top spot among the players.

READ MORE: Highest-paid players in the Premier League ranked

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Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne earns £20,800,000 annually, making him the highest-paid in the league. He is followed by teammate Erling Haaland, who earns £19,500,000 annually. Check out the article above for the list of the top 25 earners in the EPL.

Authors
Grace Waruguru photo
Grace Waruguru
Grace has over 4 years of experience in article writing and digital media content creation for various local and global brands. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication (Public Relations) from Daystar University, Kenya.