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After the influx of global superstars, the Roshn Saudi League is the name on everyone’s lips in the football world, with fans from all around the world tuning in for their first taste of RSL action. From watching the world’s best, to the intense passion of the fans and the history and rivalry of the league and its teams, here are ten reasons why you simply must keep watching the Roshn Saudi League. CRISTIANO RONALDO Need we say more. A five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or and five-time winner of the UEFA Champions League, he is regarded as one of the best footballers ever to play the game, having played for some of the world’s biggest clubs in Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. Still going strong at 38, ‘CR7’ is also the greatest international goalscorer in football history with 127 goals for his native Portugal and has been a standout since joining Al Nassr. THE WORLD’S BEST TALENT It’s not just Ronaldo that has helped put the RSL on the international map. The arrival of the likes of Karim Benzema, Robert Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Neymar, and N’Golo Kante - to name just a few of the international superstars that have descended on Saudi Arabia - has transformed the league into a must-watch event
ROSHN SAUDI LEAGUE
TEN REASONS TO WATCH THE ROSHN SAUDI LEAGUE every week. Benzema is a former Ballon d’Or winner, while Neymar is now Brazil’s all-time leading scorer…and that’s before you get to everyone else! ASIA’S BEST PLAYER If Salem Al Dawsari was Saudi Arabia’s best kept secret before last year’s FIFA World Cup, his name and talent are certainly secret no more. His earth-shattering strike against Argentina reverberated around the world as the name Salem Al Dawsari burst onto the international conscience. As a key pillar of the Al Hilal side that made both the AFC Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup Finals, his outstanding form was recently rewarded by being named the AFC Player of the Year. A HOTHOUSE OF SAUDI TALENT Twelve months on and the world is still coming to grips with Saudi Arabia’s stunning victory over Argentina at the FIFA World Cup. It was a result that sent shockwaves around the world, not least because the Saudi side is made up of purely domestic talent. From the aforementioned Salem Al Dawsari, to other stars like Mohammed Kanno, Hassan Tambakti and Firas Al-Buraikan, the best Saudi Arabian talent is on display in the SPL every single week.
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ROSHN SAUDI LEAGUE PROPER FOOTBALL RIVALRIES Think of the best rivalries in football and you might think of El Clasico, Boca vs River Plate, the Milan Derby or any of the big rivalries in the Premier League. These matches have a status and history that is understood around the world, and now the world is getting to see the history and rivalry that exists in Saudi Arabia. Whether it’s the Jeddah Derby between Al Ittihad and Al Ahli, the Saudi Clasico between Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, or the Riyadh Derby between Al Hilal and Al Nassr, these matches are the equal of anything around the world in terms of passion and intensity. THE UNDERDOG STORIES It can sometimes be easy to think just about the big four of Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli, but the RSL is about so much more than that. Al Taawoun have lost just one of their opening 11 fixtures, while Al Fateh have also been making a challenge at the top end of the table. A decade ago, they had produced a true fairytale performance to clinch the title in the 2012/13 season. A LIVERPOOL LEGEND IN THE DUGOUT It’s not just top class playing talent that is on display in Saudi Arabia, there are also superstars in the dugouts too, and none more so than former Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard. A Scottish Premiership winning coach with Rangers, before a stint with Premier League side Aston Villa, Gerrard chose Dammam-based Al Ettifaq as his destination of choice to continue his coaching journey. Can he work wonders in the Eastern Province?
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THE HISTORY While the likes of Ronaldo, Benzema and Neymar may have recently introduced the RSL to the world, the clubs at which they play are anything but new, with each having its own rich history and unique story to tell. The names of Sami Al Jaber, Majed Abdullah, Mohammed Noor and Saeed Al Owairan are names etched not only in Saudi Arabian football history, but at clubs like Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Shabab at which they played. THE FANS From the tifos, to the flares, to the deafening roar when a goal is score, fans in Saudi Arabia are some of the most passionate anywhere in the world. Their passion runs deep, often passed down through generations, and they produce some of the most spectacular visual displays to show their support for their side, adding to the experience of watching and attending the RSL. THE TACTICAL BATTLES If you’re an X’s and O’s person, then there is plenty for you to sink your teeth into in the SPL with some astute tacticians patrolling the sidelines. Whether it’s Matthias Jaissle at Al Ahli, regarded as one of Europe’s brightest young managers, or Jorge Jesus at Al Hilal, a veteran of the coaching game, or even Nuno Espirito Santo, Slaven Bilic, Luis Castro, Igor Bišćan or any of the coaches across the league, there is a variety of tactics and styles on display to satisfy any football fan.
SOCIAL
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BENZEMA: I feel the love of the people here Sat on the last row of seats on the team bus, Karim Benzema’s smile carried a mix of awkwardness and shyness as he clapped to the tone of his new teammates serenading his name “Yaa Karim.. Ya Karim”. Six weeks after the reigning Ballon d’Or winner was unveiled as a new Al Ittihad player, the first signing of a historic summer transfer window in the Roshn Saudi League, Benzema was making his first away trip with the team as they travelled to play in the King Salman Cup, the pan-Arab summer club competition taking place in the mountainous tri-cities of Taif, Abha and Al Baha. Fast forward three months, the new Al Ittihad captain arrives to speak to us, looking much more assured, comfortable in his new surroundings and as confident as a man who stamped his mark on the biggest stages of European football over the course of two decades in the white shirts of Olympique Lyon and Real Madrid.
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Golden-framed glasses hanging from the front of his crew neck yellow shirt, brown Louis Vuitton pouch tucked under his right arm and a certain swagger to his demeanor reminiscent of the sight of him effortlessly gliding past defenders at the Santiago Bernabeu, Benzema reflects on his decision to swap Spain for Saudi Arabia after 14 years. “With everything I have achieved with Real Madrid, it was the right time for me to try a new challenge,” says the 35-year-old. He has indeed achieved a lot; a tally of 24 trophies, including five UEFA Champions League titles and a plethora of individual awards and records, culminating in the 2022 Ballon d’Or before he departed Madrid as the club’s second highest goal scorer of all time. “For a very long time, even before football, I always wanted to come here. Then the football project came in, it was a project just starting to
“There is a lot of passion, a lot of history behind that. There are the fans and everything that goes with it. I was really pleasantly surprised about the level of the game here. Surprised because in Europe we don’t watch much Saudi football. Nowadays, we are watching more and more because of the big names they signed.
burst in from everywhere, so on my side I really wanted to be part of the story. I really wanted to help Saudi football grow. Born in Lyon to parents of Algerian heritage, Benzema is a practicing Muslim, a factor that had an influence on his decision to move to Saudi Arabia. “When you travel there [to Mecca], you’re in the truth; in the truth for a Muslim. You feel good and pure. It’s simply exceptional. It’s something I wish all Muslims get to experience one day. It does a lot of good.
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Despite a narrow 1-0 defeat to Al Ahli at the start of October, a strike from former Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, Benzema experienced the passion of Al Ittihad at its finest in his first Jeddah derby.
Following Benzema’s signing at the start of June, the reigning Roshn Saudi League champions bolstered their squad with heavyweight additions in the shape of N’Golo Kante, Fabinho and Luiz Felipe while the core of players who led them to title success in 2022-23, including Romarinho, Igor Coronado and goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe were retained. Under coach Nuno Espirito Santo, Al Ittihad their campaign in stunning form, winning six of their first seven matches, and keeping six clean sheets. Their first defeat of the season came in a thrilling 4-3 encounter against Al Hilal in the game dubbed ‘The Saudi Clasico’, owing to the historic rivalry between the two most successful
“[Saudi Arabia] is also a Muslim country, and they welcomed me with their arms wide open. “On and off the pitch, I feel good. I’ll say it again, but it’s just how I feel; this country welcomed me with open arms. I feel the love of the people here, so that makes me happy, and I try to return that love on the pitch. In joining Al Ittihad, Benzema signed for a club steeped in history and tradition, having been founded in 1927, the Jeddah-based club commands huge support across the country. Whenever the team lines up before Roshn Saudi League matches for a rendition of their anthem “The Nation’s Club”, the stands are rocking, a sea of black and yellow driving the players to fight for the number-one shaped badge.
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LEAGUE TABLE
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Roshn Saudi League 2023-24 Season
MATCH
ACTION V
AL NASSR
AL KHALEEJ
0
62%
13
11
38%
POSSESSION
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2
Ronaldo 26’, Laporte 58’
SHOTS
7
6 3
SHOTS ON TARGET
3 CROSSES
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WHO'S THE PLAYER?
ANSWER: JORDAN HENDERSON
GUESS THE BADGE
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JUNIOR LEAGUE
ANSWER: AL RIYADH
INTERACTIVE QUIZ! Our interactive quiz is back, five teasers on The Saudi Pro League do you know your stuff??
CLICK HERE! 11
ROSHN SAUDI LEAGUE
CLUB PROFILE
alnassr.sa
Luís Manuel R
ibeiro de Cast
ro
MEET THE BOSS Luís Manuel Ribeiro de Castro is a Portuguese football manager and former player who played as a right-back. He is the current manager of Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr. He played for Vitória de Guimarães and Elvas in the Primeira Liga but spent most of his career
in the lower leagues. In a managerial career of over a quarter of a century he led four teams in his nation’s top flight including briefly Porto, where he won the second tier with the reserve team in 2016. He also won a Ukrainian Premier League title for Shakhtar Donetsk in 2020, and worked in Qatar, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
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Al Khaleej
W2-0
SEASONS
HOME
Al-Ettifaq
W1-0 HOME
Al Fayha
W1-3 AWAY
Al-Duhail
W4-3 HOME
Damac
W2-1 HOME
22/23 21/22 20/21 19/20 18/19 Saudi Pro League Saudi Pro League Saudi Pro League Saudi Pro League Saudi Pro League 2nd 3rd 6th 2nd 1st
ONES TO WATCH Sadio Mané is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Senegal national team. Known for his e n a m Sadio pressing, dribbling and speed, Mané is often considered one of the greatest African players of all time. On 1 August 2023, Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr announced the signing of Mané. Mané later revealed that former Liverpool teammates Fabinho and Roberto Firmino had previously contacted him in order to recommend to him that he might join their clubs, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia respectively. Mané also stated that his former captain Jordan Henderson had sent him a good luck message upon his departure to Saudi Arabia. Two days later, he made his debut replacing Abdulaziz Saud Al Elewai at halftime in their 1–1 draw with Zamalek in the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup. He scored his first goal for the club on 14 August in a 2–1 loss against AlEttifaq in the league.
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RESULTS
LAST FIVE
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Portugal national team. Widely regarded as one Cristiano Ronaldo of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards, a record three UEFA Best Player in Europe, and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player. He has won 34 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, the UEFA European Championship and the UEFA Nations League. On 30 December 2022, Al Nassr reached an agreement for Ronaldo to join the club effective 1 January 2023, signing a contract until 2025. As reported by Fabrizio Romano of The Guardian, Ronaldo received the highest football salary in history, worth €200 million per year; this included an annual guaranteed football salary of €90 million, with commercial and sponsorship deals included bringing his total annual salary to €200 million. He was also reportedly paid a signing-on bonus in the region of €100 million.According to Romano, Ronaldo rejected a move to Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City to join Al Nassr.
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