Top highest-paid players in the Saudi Professional League

The German platform “Statista”, which specializes in market and consumer data, monitored the ten highest-paid players in the Saudi Professional League in Saudi Arabia in 2023 in terms of annual salary. The list included: 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Neymar 3. Karim Benzema 4. Riyad Mahrez 5. Sadio Mane 6. Kalidou Koulibaly 7. Aleksandar Mitrovic 8. N’Golo Kante 9. Sergej 10. Milinkovic 11. Aymeric Laporte.

According to the report, the three highest-paid players in the Saudi Professional League earn more than £85 million annually, with a significant decrease in the salaries of players at the bottom of the ranking.

While Riyad Mahrez earns about £40 million less than Karim Benzema, who was only one place ahead of him in the ranking. The four players with the lowest annual salaries in the top 10 list earned around £21m as of 2023. The Saudi Pro League, officially known as the Saudi Roshen League, has made some notable football signings in recent years, attracting players from leading football clubs around the world. Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr, Neymar signed for Al Hilal, and Karim Benzema joined Al Ittihad. These players previously played for Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid, respectively. The ability to attract world-famous players has also impacted the market value of Saudi Pro League clubs. As with the salaries of the players themselves, the revenues of Saudi Pro League clubs are also heavily skewed in favour of the top three, with Al Hilal topping the list in 2022. Saudi Arabia is expanding its entertainment, sports, and media sectors to diversify its economy away from oil. Through its Vision 2030 project, the country is making significant investments in these areas to create a more diverse economic landscape. Projects such as NEOM, a planned futuristic city, and the Red Sea Project, a luxury tourism destination, are key elements of this strategy, according to the report. NEOM has secured the largest construction contracts in Saudi Arabia in 2022, worth an estimated $500 billion. In addition, Saudi Arabia has hosted international events, such as the Saudi Grand Prix and the Diriyah E-Prix, in an effort to increase its global presence in sports. Sports generated around 21% of the country’s event management revenue in 2022. The establishment of the General Entertainment Authority in 2016 has led to an increase in concerts, festivals, and other entertainment events, boosting domestic and international tourism. These efforts aim to create jobs, attract foreign investment, and contribute to a more sustainable and diversified economic future.