More and more European football stars are moving to Saudi Arabia. In the meantime, a remarkable top eleven has come together. With some surprises.
Karim Benzema is the new superstar at Al-Ittihad. – Al-Ittihad Club
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the essentials in brief
More and more top footballers are moving from Europe to Saudi Arabia. This has resulted in a very valuable top eleven. Somewhat surprisingly, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo did not make it into the top eleven.
Cristiano Ronaldo starts at the beginning of the year. The Portuguese superstar joined Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and started a real Saudi spending spree. Because this summer, more and more European stars are following the call of money and moving to the desert.
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Ronaldo was surprisingly followed by reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema. After 14 years at Real Madrid, he moved to Al-Ittihad. Now Benzema is already 35 years old, Ronaldo even 38, both have passed their prime.
Karim Benzema has become the figurehead of Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. – Al-Ittihad FC
But younger players are also following the call of money. The current top market value of the Saudi Pro League is 28-year-old Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. With an estimated 50 million euros, the Serb leads the Saudi top eleven created by the online portal transfermarkt.de.
Top eleven is worth more than 200 million
Edouard Mendy (market value: twelve million), who came from Chelsea, is in goal. The best-known name in the back four is certainly Kalidou Koulibaly (15 million), who also moved to Saudi Arabia from Chelsea.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is the third most expensive signing at Al-Hilal. – Al-Hilal SFC
In midfield, Milinkovic-Savic is joined by Brazilian Fabinho (42 million), including Champions League winners with Liverpool. The showpiece is definitely the attack. Here next to Benzema (25 million), the Brazilian Malcom (30 million) or the French Allan Saint-Maximin (32 million) cavort.
Ronaldo is missing from the top eleven
Some big names didn’t make the top eleven. On the one hand, this is due to the low market values of the players. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, only has a market value of 15 million euros.
Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Al-Nassr. – Al-Nassr SFC
On the other hand, there is an oversupply in some positions and a shortage in others. Especially in central midfield there are many newcomers with a high market value. In the full-back positions, the values are lower on average.
That’s why Saud Abdulhamid (2.8 million market value) makes it into the top eleven, while Ruben Neves (40 million) doesn’t. Ex-Bayern star Sadio Mané (25 million) is also missing from the Saudi super team.
The complete top 11 by market values in Saudi Arabia. – transfermarkt.de
Incidentally, there is no guarantee that the many newcomers will immediately improve football in Saudi Arabia in terms of quality. Just recently, Al-Ahli, with Mendy and Roberto Firmino, lost 6-2 to Bundesliga promoted Heidenheim. Money isn’t everything.
More on the subject:
Champions LeagueRoberto FirminoKarim BenzemaLiverpoolReal MadridBundesligaFC ChelseaCristiano Ronaldo
2023-08-06 20:32:59
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