Al Nassr v Al Hilal live: Ronaldo in the King Salman Cup final

The 2023/24 Saudi Pro League promises to be one of the most intriguing in the kingdom’s history, with Saudi Arabian clubs experiencing an unprecedented level of player recruitment.

Here’s all you need to know about the league, which now features the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino and Steven Gerrard.

Established in 1976, the Saudi Pro League represents the top tier of Saudi Arabian football. Roshn, a real estate division of the Public Investment Fund, has been the league’s title sponsor since last year.

Al Hilal are record 18-time winners, while current champions Al Ittihad sit second alongside Al Nassr, with nine each. Al Shabab, another Riyadh club, have six titles, Al Ahli three, Al Ettifaq two and Al Fateh one.

The kingdom has invested significantly in its top league this summer. This has been marked by an unprecedented spend on player recruitment, with the likes of Benzema, Kante, Firmino, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic following Ronaldo, who signed for Nassr last December, to Saudi. Last month, the kingdom announced the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project.

Launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the initiative aims to encourage private investment in the sports sector. Aligned with the kingdom’s Vision 2030, it will have a particular focus on football. One of the project’s primary objectives is to position the Saudi Pro League as one of the top 10 football leagues in the world.

As part of the privatisation objective, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) acquired a 75 per cent stake in Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli – the league’s four lead clubs. The remaining 25 per cent will be controlled by a non-profit organisation. The Sports Clubs