Saudi Pro League’s La Liga alumni: Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way
Cristiano Ronaldo’s groundbreaking arrival at Al Nassr has put Saudi Pro League into a global focus.
The 38-year-old’s legendary status was secured at Manchester United, and then Real Madrid. His unforgettable time with the La Liga giants featured 450 goals in 438 appearances, plus 15 major trophies.
Yet he is not the only star with experience of Spain’s top flight to excel in Saudi Arabia.
Lining up alongside Ronaldo for Al Nassr is ex-Villarreal, Espanyol, Zaragoza and Racing Santander man Alvaro Gonzalez. He is part of a growing La Liga contingent in Roshn Saudi League after parting ways with Marseille in France’s Ligue 1.
However, Al Shabab boast an even-greater La Liga footprint.
They currently possess Ever Banega, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Santi Mina, while Vicente Moreno is the tactician tasked with making them a force to be reckoned with.
Banega was the Saudi league’s standout superstar before Ronaldo’s arrival and the Argentine has played for Sevilla on two separate occasions, Inter Milan, and Valencia with three UEFA Europa League titles, one Copa del Rey, and an Olympic gold medal in his trophy cabinet.
The 34-year-old won two of those Europa League crowns alongside Krychowiak, who enjoyed a fruitful spell in Seville despite playing much of his career in France. Mina is on loan from Celta Vigo and has played for Spain at Under-21 level.
Al Wehda’s Oscar Duarte, Karim Yoda, Faycal Fajr, Munir Mohamedi and Alberto Botia have also previously played in Spain.
Others to have featured there include Abha’s Felipe Caicedo, Damac’s Nono, Al Fateh’s Petros, Al Fayha’s Vladimir Stojkovic, Al Hilal’s Odion Ighalo and Al Ittihad’s Helder Costa.
There are a number of other Spaniards with significant pasts in La Liga, dotted around the league.
Al Fateh have two of them in Cristian Tello and Fran Velez. The former is an ex-Barcelona, Real Betis, Porto, Fiorentina and Los Angeles FC star, as well as a Spanish international, and the latter a resolute defender who rose to prominence with Almeria.
Tello is not the only Spaniard to have spent a bit of time in Major League Soccer, with Al Taawoun’s Alvaro Medran arriving after his experience with Chicago Fire. He has played for Real Madrid and Valencia, yet is still just 28 and could write a significant chapter in Saudi Arabia.
There is also Al Fayha’s Victor Ruiz who might not boast the same history in his homeland as some of the other names mentioned here, but exceled in Switzerland with St. Gallen before making the move.
That is already a contingent of significant quality and it will hopefully only grow in the coming months as Ronaldo settles into his new life with Al Nassr and continues to put the fast-developing Saudi game on the global map, for players and fans alike.