The 10 Saudi Pro League stars who have lost the most market value in 2024
Some of the biggest names in world football are among the top 10 Saudi Pro League stars to have lost the most market value in 2024.
A player can tank in market value for a number of reasons. Whether it’s down to a loss of form, injuries or getting older, footballers will regularly fluctuate in their market value.
Using figures from Transfermarkt, we have found the 10 Saudi Pro League stars who have lost the most market value throughout 2024.
10. Yannick Carrasco (-€10million)
“Certainly if, like me, you do what you always wanted from an early age, then you are used to someone polishing your shoes, bringing you fresh clothes and pata negra [Iberico ham] on the table,” Carrasco stated in 2018 after joining Chinese club Dalian Yifang.
“Then when you end up somewhere where football isn’t that popular … suddenly you have to shine your shoes, wash your clothes and there are no good restaurants to eat.
“China was a life lesson for me. It made me grow. And realise how lucky I am in Europe.”
After returning to Atletico Madrid and helping them win La Liga in 2021, Carrasco left Europe once more in 2023 and joined Al-Shabab.
The midfielder has been more than adequate in Saudi Arabia, but is perhaps suffering from being out of the limelight and Belgium’s constant underachievement at international level.
9. Sadio Mane (-€11million)
Mane’s drop-off since leaving Liverpool in 2022 needs to be studied by future football historians.
The Senegal icon finished second in the Ballon d’Or that year, but missed the Qatar World Cup with injury and his year at Bayern Munich is best remembered for landing one on Leroy Sane.
Despite scoring 24 goals and providing 16 assists since joining Al-Nassr, Mane is a shadow of the player he was at Anfield and that’s not solely down to his advancing years.
=7. Otavio (-€12million)
While Otavio is by no means the biggest name at Al-Nassr, he was their most valuable player according to Transfermarkt for most of 2024.
The 29-year-old is currently worth more than Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Talisca, but his ponderous displays in midfield are a major factor in Al-Nassr being nine points off the pace.
=7. Ruben Neves (-€12million)
Given Neves is currently in the peak years of his career, it’s no surprise that he’s the second most valuable player in the Saudi Pro League as of writing.
The 27-year-old looked a class above the level last season and won the league with ease at Al-Hilal. But a mediocre Euros with Portugal and the lack of profile the Saudi League suffers from has seen his market value slide by €12million in 2024.
6. Kurt Zouma (-€13million)
A Premier League stalwart at Chelsea, Everton and West Ham, Zouma left England this summer after West Ham sent him on loan to Al-Shabab to get his wages off their books.
The centre-back has played eight times for his new club, but a combination of troubling knee injuries and the Hammers’ poor form in the second-half of 2023-24 has seen his market value dip.
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5. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (-€15million)
Al-Hilal will have been pleased with Milinkovic-Savic’s contribution last season as the midfielder chipped in with an impressive 29 goal contributions across all competitions.
Given he’s on a yearly salary of around £21million, that means Al-Hilal paid around £724,000 per goal contribution from Milinkovic-Savic last season.
He’s also scored six times and provided three assists in 2024-25, but a disappointing European Championship with Serbia has seen the 29-year-old’s value slip over the past 12 months.
4. Fabinho (-€17million)
Al-Ittihad splashed £40million to lure Fabinho to Saudi Arabia in 2023, which is over double his current market value.
The Brazilian has been useful enough in his new surroundings, but he is by no means at the peak of his powers anymore and has seen his Transfermarkt value slide by an alarming €17million.
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3. Joao Cancelo (-€22million)
Despite Cancelo himself pushing for a permanent move to Barcelona, that didn’t materialise and Manchester City instead ended up selling him to Al-Hilal in a deal worth £21.2milllion.
With the Portuguese international playing at right-back, the Saudi champions have looked just as dominant as they had last season, having won 12 of their 13 league matches.
The 30-year-old has made a decent impact in that time, with nine goal contributions in 21 matches across all competitions. But it’s all a far cry from Cancelo’s peak, where he was legitimately the best full-back in Europe.
2. Moussa Diaby (-€25million)
Having signed for Al-Ittihad from Aston Villa last summer, Diaby is the most valuable player in the league with a market value of €35million.
The winger’s move raised eyebrows over the summer and, despite one goal and 10 assists in 10 Saudi Pro League appearances, his market value has sharply declined this year.
1. Neymar (-€30million)
There can be no denying that Neymar’s move to Al-Hilal has been anything other than a total disaster.
Despite earning around £1.6million per week, the Brazilian has only made seven appearances for the club since making the £75million switch from PSG.
After missing 12 months through injury, Neymar returned to action in October but has since picked up another knock which is set to keep him out until the new year.
In his absence last season, Al-Hilal still managed to win a domestic treble and it seems increasingly unlikely that he will extend his contract beyond 2025.