The highest paid players in the Saudi Pro League this 2024-25 season

At 100 million euros per season, Karim Benzema is the third highest paid player in Saudi Arabia. The third in football in general.

Certainly still visible this 2024-2025 season, but a little less than the previous one which suddenly showed Saudi Arabia’s bulimia without hunger for football. After the declaration of intent, the ranking of the highest paid players for the current financial year reveals continuity in the aggressive financial strategy of the Saudi championship, while showing some notable developments.

Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Neymar and Benzema

Unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo maintains his top position with an annual salary estimated at 200 million euros, although his contract with Al-Nassr expires at the end of this season. Neymar, despite limited playing time, retains second place with 160 million euros per year at Al-Hilal. Karim Benzema completes the podium, pocketing 120 million euros annually at Al-Ittihad.

The top 15 sees the arrival of new faces, notably compensating for the departure of Jordan Henderson to Ajax. Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Aleksandar Mitrović (Al-Hilal) and Moussa Diaby (Al-Ittihad) join the ranking with salaries around 25 million euros per year.

Expenditures falling but still very high

This season marks a certain stabilization of spending compared to the frenzy of the previous year. However, with nearly 500 million euros invested during the last transfer window, the Saudi Pro League is positioned just behind the five major European championships in terms of transfer spending. Saudi ambition in football is part of a broader soft power strategy, as evidenced by obtaining the organization of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.