Saudi Pro League: Who's who guide to the league making headlines

Will N'Golo Kante's France vocation endure arsenic a effect of his exit from European football?

Saudi Pro League teams person made galore headlines this summer, with stars similar Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Ruben Neves joining Cristiano Ronaldo successful the country.

You mightiness person seen immoderate of the players and managers who person precocious moved to Saudi Arabia, but whitethorn not cognize overmuch astir the teams they person joined oregon who other is there.

BBC Sport has a look astatine the large teams and which stars play for which clubs.

Abha

Abha, from the metropolis of the aforesaid name, were playing successful the 3rd tier arsenic precocious arsenic 2017-18 earlier winning back-to-back promotions. They person ne'er won a large trophy.

They are managed by Czeslaw Michniewicz, who was Poland's brag astatine past winter's World Cup successful Qatar, and their biggest sanction is Felipe Caicedo, the 34-year-old Ecuador striker who played for Manchester City 14 years ago.

Al-Ahli

Edouard Mendy near Chelsea for Al-Ahli this summer

Al-Ahli are 1 of the country's biggest teams - and 1 of the 4 taken implicit by the PIF recently. The three-time champions were successful the 2nd tier past play but went up arsenic champions. The Jeddah side, who stock a crushed with Al-Ittihad, are inactive looking for a manager.

They person conscionable agreed a £30m woody to bring Manchester City guardant Riyad Mahrez to the club.

Ex-Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino and erstwhile Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy are their different 2 biggest signings this summer. Ezgjan Alioski and Modou Barrow person some played successful the Premier League, for Leeds and Swansea respectively, portion Bastos is a erstwhile Lazio defender.

Al-Ettifaq

Steven Gerrard is managing successful his 3rd state aft occurrence astatine Rangers and the other astatine Aston Villa

Former Rangers and Aston Villa brag Steven Gerrard volition negociate Al-Ettifaq this season, with England and Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson acceptable to articulation his squad aft the clubs agreed a woody worthy £12m positive add-ons.

Winger Amin Younes, who has won 8 elder caps for Germany, should beryllium backmost successful their squad this twelvemonth aft a indebtedness spell with Utrecht. Forward Robin Quaison is simply a Sweden international.

Their past silverware was successful the 1980s.

Al-Fateh

Al-Fateh's lone rubric came backmost successful 2013. They are managed by erstwhile West Ham brag Slaven Bilic, who was appointed successful July to regenerate erstwhile Blackburn Rovers midfielder Georgios Donis, who has taken implicit Al-Wehda.

Their astir notable subordinate is ex-Barcelona winger Cristian Tello, who won 1 headdress for Spain. Fellow Spaniard Fran Velez and erstwhile Monaco left-back Tristan Dingome are besides successful their squad.

Al-Fayha

Al-Fayha won the Saudi rubric successful 2017 and the King Cup successful 2022. Their manager is erstwhile Yugoslavia planetary Vuk Rasovic. Their Al Majma'ah Sports City stadium, with a 7,000 capacity, is the smallest successful the league.

Veteran goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic is a erstwhile Serbia planetary and has played for Wigan and Nottingham Forest. Striker Milan Pavkov also played for Serbia, though helium was sent disconnected against Germany successful his lone cap. North Macedonia's Aleksandar Trajkovski scored the extremity that denied Italy the accidental to spell to the 2022 World Cup.

Al-Hazem

Al-Hazem, who were promoted past season, person ne'er won a large trophy. Boss Filipe Gouveia played for an managed a big of Portuguese teams.

They are 1 of the fewer teams successful the league without immoderate well-known players. Goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen has played for Tunisia.

Al-Hilal

Kalidou Koulibaly near Chelsea aft conscionable 1 season

Al-Hilal person won a grounds 4 Asian Champions Leagues and 18 Saudi titles. Ex-Benfica brag Jorge Jesus replaced erstwhile Oxford manager Ramon Diaz this summer.

Another PIF-owned club, they spent £47m this summertime to motion Wolves skipper Ruben Neves and besides brought successful Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea and Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic for large fees. Ex-Porto striker Moussa Marega, erstwhile West Brom playmaker Matheus Pereira and Peru winger Andre Carrillo, erstwhile of Watford, are besides successful the team.

Al-Ittihad

Karim Benzema is the existent Ballon d'Or holder

Al-Ittihad - besides owned by PIF - are Al-Hilal's large rivals successful a derby known arsenic Saudi's Clasico. They are the defending champions, with ex-Wolves and Tottenham brag Nuno Espirito Santo starring them to past season's title. Scot Ian Cathro is 1 of Nuno's first-team coaches.

Formed successful 1927, they are Saudi Arabia's oldest shot club.

They were 1 of the biggest movers this summer, signing Real Madrid's Ballon d'Or victor Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante, formerly of Chelsea, positive £25m Celtic guardant Jota.

They articulation ex-Brazil keeper Marcelo Grohe, erstwhile West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazi and Brazilian midfielder Igor Coronado, who played for Banbury United successful 2012 aft coming done the MK Dons younker set-up.

Al-Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo was 1 of the lone household names successful the league past season

Nine-time champions Al-Nassr bushed their league rivals to worldwide headlines by respective months erstwhile they signed five-time Ballon d'Or victor Cristiano Ronaldo in January aft his Manchester United exit. He scored 14 goals arsenic they finished 2nd successful the Pro League.

Ronaldo's chap Portuguese Luis Castro replaced Rudi Garcia arsenic brag this summer, and they are the different PIF club.

Inter Milan skipper Marcelo Brozovic and Lens midfielder Seko Fofana also made the determination recently, portion ex-Arsenal keeper David Ospina, erstwhile Argentina planetary Gonzalo Martinez, ex-Benfica guardant Talisca and Ivory Coast defender Ghislain Konan besides play for the team. Saudi planetary Mukhtar Ali played for England astatine Under-16 and U17 level.

• Read more: Why is Saudi Pro League signing Premier League stars?

Al-Okhdood

Al-Okhdood, who person ne'er won a large trophy, were successful the 3rd tier conscionable 5 years ago. Their manager Jorge Mendonca was Reading's adjunct brag from 2018 to 2019.

The Najran-based squad person nary household names, with seasoned Brazilian goalkeeper Paulo Vitor joining from Portuguese broadside Chaves this summer.

Al-Raed

Another 1 of the smaller teams successful the apical flight, Al-Raed person nary important silverware and are managed by ex-Shakhtar Donetsk brag Igor Jovicevic. They stock a crushed with Buraidah rivals Al-Taawoun.

Their Brazilian defender Pablo Santos has played successful the apical flights successful Portugal, Russia and Turkey.

Al-Riyadh

Al-Riyadh's champion play was successful 1993-94, erstwhile they finished 2nd successful the league and won the Crown Prince Cup. They were promoted past play and person conscionable hired Belgian manager Yannick Ferrera.

Goalkeeper Martin Campana has won 9 caps for Uruguay.

Al-Shabab

Six-time champions Al-Shabab are presently looking for a caller manager.

Former Valencia and Argentina midfielder Ever Banega is their astir celebrated player. Colombia planetary Gustavo Cuellar and goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, who has gone to 3 World Cups with South Korea, are besides successful the squad.

Al-Taawoun

Al-Taawoun, the 2019 King Cup winners, are managed by Brazilian Pericles Chamusca, his 30th managerial occupation contempt lone being 57.

Spanish midfielder Alvaro Medran made 5 appearances for Real Madrid successful 2015-16.

Al-Tai

Al-Tai, who person yet to triumph a large trophy, appointed Croat Kresimir Rezic arsenic their manager this summer.

Guinea-Bissau midfielder Alfa Semedo had indebtedness spells successful the English Championship with Nottingham Forest and Reading betwixt 2019 and 2021.

Al-Wehda

Al-Wehda, who were formed 88 years ago, past won a trophy successful 1966 with the King Cup. Former Greece midfielder Georgios Donis is their manager, having moved from Al-Fateh this summertime to regenerate Jose Luis Sierra.

Costa Rica defender Oscar Duarte scored astatine the 2014 World Cup against Uruguay, portion midfielder Faycal Fajr and goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi both featured astatine the 2018 World Cup for Morocco.

Damac

Former AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, West Brom and Romania subordinate Cosmin Contra was named Damac manager earlier this year. The nine person nary large silverware.

Domagoj Antolic won six caps for Croatia and Adam Maher played for the Netherlands.

Khaleej

Khaleej narrowly avoided relegation past season, having been promoted the erstwhile season. They are managed by Portuguese Pedro Emanuel.

Veteran defender Lisandro Lopez won 4 caps for Argentina and played for Benfica and Inter Milan. Fabio Martins is 1 of 4 erstwhile Portugal younker internationals successful the team.