Top 5 famous players who have joined the Saudi Pro League this summer

With the acquisition of some of the biggest names in football, the Saudi Pro League has shocked the European football scene.

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund bought a 75% share in the four biggest clubs in the country in order to raise the league's prominence, which has spurred the transfer market.

With the hiring of Liverpool star Steven Gerrard as Al-Ettifaq's head coach, the enormous salaries granted to players have been extended to managers as well.

So let's review the top players that have joined the Saudi Pro League this summer as the Saudi Arabian government works to make the league a new football powerhouse.

#5 Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea to Al Hilal)

Koulibaly (right) spoke about playing against Ronaldo.

Koulibaly is one of the latest Saudi Pro League acquisitions following his move to Al-Hilal for £18 million as he suffered from Chelsea's massive squad sales

The Senegalese hyped up after joining Chelsea from Napoli last summer in a deal worth £33 million. He didn't live up to expectations as he recorded 32 appearances, being injured most of the time for the Blues.

Chelsea offloaded the 32-year-old's £200,000 per week salary to free its books in addition to collecting the transfer money.

#4 Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers to Al Hilal)

Ruben Neves made an admission on his Saudi transfer.

Neves moved to Al-Hilal to end his six-year tenure with the Wolves.

The Saudi club paid £47 million to sign Neves with a year left on his contract

The Portuguese who joined Wolves in 2017 was frequently linked with a move to Barcelona, but his ideal transfer to the Spanish powerhouse fell through.

At just 26 years old, Neves' transfer was the first time a star player joined the Saudi Pro League during their prime years of play.

#3 N’Golo Kante (Chelsea to Al Ittihad)

Both Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante are set to be teammates at Al-Ittihad

Kante joined defending champions Al-Ittihad in the Saudi rampage of European stars.

The 2018 World Cup champion will make about £75 million over the length of his four-year contract despite joining as a free agent.

The 32-year-old's seven-year tenure at Chelsea, who recruited him just a few weeks after Kante assisted Leicester in their jaw-dropping 2016 Premier League Season came to an end with his move to Saudi.

#2 Roberto Firmino (Liverpool to Al Ahli)

Roberto Firmino is in his eighth season with the Reds.

Firmino who bid farewell to the Anfield fans with a goal, left Liverpool as a free agent and signed for the Saudi side Al-Ahli.

The Brazilian, now 31, joined Liverpool in 2015 and found the back of the net 82 times during his eight-year stay at Anfield.

He helped Liverpool to a Champions League and Premier League triumph in 2019 and 2020 respectively alongside Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.

#1 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid to Al Ittihad)

The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner left Real Madrid following a glittering 14-year career in the Spanish capital and joined Al-Ittihad.

Benzema will reportedly make a staggering 12 times more money than he did at Madrid, according to reports.

The Frenchman signed a two-year contract with Al-Ittihad, with an option of a further year.