Saudi Pro League: Meet the managers who have made the move

So far this year, we've seen Karim Benzema, Neymar, Sadio Mane and N'Golo Kante, amongst others, make the move to the Middle East. However, it's not just the players who have opted to swap continents. Several managers, household names in Europe, have also made their way to the region.

Moving from Europe to Saudi to coach, at this stage, is a very different challenge. Yes, there has been a massive injection of cash into the league. But compared to other leagues globally, the competitiveness is still in its very early stages.

Matt Monaghan is the head of English content for Gulf sports website Sports360X. He explained to Football Now some of the differences coaches coming from Europe might find when they arrive in Saudi.

"It's a chance, really, to get in on the ground floor of a league that has enormous ambitions. It's self-professed that it has some way to go. We've seen the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nuno Espirito Santo say themselves that the facilities might not be at the level of a top-five league yet, but the plans are in place."

"So, if you're a manager coming in now, you might play a really influential role in helping to build that. That's the decision; do you can stay in Europe with, maybe, a mediocre team or you can go to Saudi Arabia and try something different with big prospects of growth." Matt continued.

In the summer of 2022, Nuno Espírito Santo took over as Pro League champions Al-Ittihad manager. He brought several big names to Jeddah in the summer, including former Ballon D'or winner Karim Benzema. Rumours of a row between Nuno and Benzema after Ittihad lost 2-0 to Iraqi side Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the AFC Champions League were shortly followed by the news that the Portuguese had been sacked.

Reports suggest