Ronaldo's price is stable, while Neymar and Benzema have fallen. Player values in Saudi Arabia
The statistical portal Transfermarkt has updated the contract values of players. Legendary figures of world football who have decided to conclude their careers in Saudi Arabia have also found their place on this list.
The contract price of Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved from Manchester United to Al-Nassr at the start of the year, remains unchanged at €15 million according to Transfermarkt. It's worth recalling that the Portuguese forward moved to the Arabian club as a free agent, while Manchester United paid Juventus €17 million for him earlier this year. His peak value was during the seasons of 2014/15 and 2017/18 when he played for Real Madrid and was valued at €120 million. When he moved to Juventus in the summer of 2021, he was bought for €117 million.
Former Barcelona and PSG player Neymar, now with Al-Hilal, has seen a €5 million decrease in his price, currently evaluated at €45 million. It's noteworthy that despite moving to the Saudi Arabian club from PSG for €90 million, Transfermarkt had estimated his value to be one-third less. His peak value was during the period from 2018 to 2019 while at PSG when his contract was valued at €180 million. However, it's worth mentioning that when he moved from Barcelona to PSG in 2017, it was for a record €222 million.
Karim Benzema, previously playing for Real Madrid and now with Al-Ittihad, saw a decrease in value by €10 million, with his contract now assessed at €25 million. The French forward moved to the Arabian club as a free agent in the last off-season, with the only instance of his contract being bought out occurring before the 2009/10 season when "Los Blancos" paid €35 million to Lyon. His peak value was during the period from 2016 to 2017 when he was valued at €60 million.
Additionally, notable are the players who recently transitioned from European football powerhouses to Saudi Arabian clubs. Fabinho's value dropped by €3 million (now €38 million), Fofana by €4 million (€24 million), Mane by €5 million (€25 million), Kante and Jota by €2 million each (€12 million and €11 million respectively), and Henderson by just €500 thousand (€8 million).
Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert