Top five signings in Saudi Pro League history

While the leagues across Europe are trying to break the barrier and enter the top five best leagues in the world race, a league is silently making its presence known with huge transfers. While the clubs were predominantly strong in Asia and the Asian Champions League, they are now bringing big players as well as attracting a bunch of players with their huge transfer fees and financial muscle by paying big wages. Yes, we are talking about the Saudi Pro League which is now having a go at the emerging and star players from the top leagues across the world. 

While China failed to succeed in football by pushing money to bring stalwarts, the Saudi league looks in a different trajectory. After attracting Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, the Saudi Pro League continues to have an influx of players from leagues across Europe. In this article, we shall look at the top five signings in Saudi Pro League history:

Top five signings in Saudi Pro League history: 

5. Malcolm - 2023/24 - € 60 million

Al Hilal broke the bank again in the Saudi Pro League when they secured the services of Malcolm from the Russian outfit, Zenit St Petersburg. After a failed move to Barcelona, Malcolm had his struggles in Spain but was slowly finding his life in Russia. However, the Russian outfit did not hesitate to sell when the Saudi club came knocking. 

At Zenit St Petersburg, Malcolm played 109 games and scored 40 goals and had 24 assists in four seasons. For Barcelona, he had played only 24 games across all competitions and had six G/A to his name, bringing the curtains to his career at the club.

4. Moussa Diaby - 2024/25 - € 60 million

The 25-year-old French winger joined Saudi Pro League in a deal worth € 60 million after having a great season with Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa a season ago. Moussa Diaby was an integral part of Aston Villa’s attacking unit, who had joined from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2023/24 in a deal worth €55 million. 

Playing over 54 games at Aston Villa, Moussa Diaby was a nightmare for defenders with his pace. He had 19 G/A to his name in one campaign. Prior to that at Bayer Leverkusen, Diaby enjoyed four seasons in Germany where he had 49 goals and 48 assists to his name. 

3. Otavio - 2023/24 - € 60 million

The world was shocked when the creative midfielder from Portugal made his move to the Middle East while touted to move to the European giants. Otavio had just finished a loan at Porto before Al Nassr came knocking on the doors. Al Nassr secured the services of the attacking player in a deal worth € 60 million in 2023/24. 

At Porto, Otavio was the heart of the midfield with him bagging over 31 goals and 74 assists in 283 appearances across all competitions. While it looked like he would join Porto on a permanent transfer, Otavio joined Al Nassr. 

2. Jhon Duran - 2024/25 - € 77 million

The Aston Villa forward caught everyone by surprise in the ongoing transfer window when he agreed to the move to the Middle East. The Colombian attacker is known for his blistering pace and was rising through the ranks of Aston Villa as both a substitute as well as a forward. He is the second most expensive player in the history of the Saudi Pro League. With this transfer, Aston Villa benefitted with € 50 million in profits. 

Jhon Duran has played 78 games in the Premier League and has 20 goals to his name. It remains interesting to see how the move will pan out for both the player and Al Nassr. 

1. Neymar - 2023/24 - € 90 million

Neymar did not break one transfer record in his lifetime, he broke multiple transfer records in his career. While his move from Barcelona to Paris St Germain raised eyebrows as the Parisian outfit broke the bank and paid € 222 million to secure his services, his move from PSG to Al-Hilal also raised eyeballs. Though the player failed to provide justice to the transfer fee that was paid by the club, he holds the record of being the most expensive player in the history of the Saudi Pro League. 

The Brazilian finger did not feature more in the league during his two-year stay at the club. Before joining his boyhood club Santos, Neymar featured only in seven games with just one goal and three assists under his belt.

(Stats via transfermarkt)