We can’t get over the batsh*t Saudi Pro League top scorers chart: Ronaldo, Mitrovic…

Ben Stewart • 20 Nov 2023

The Saudi Pro League made some huge investments over the summer and we just can’t get over the crazy top scorers chart which features former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona stars.

Saudi Arabian clubs spent over £700million in the summer and they’ve handed out some ridiculously lucrative contracts in the process to tempt the best stars in Europe to join their project.

We’ve taken a closer look into the current top 10 scorers in the Saudi Pro League and we can’t get over some of the names that make it in.

Note: If two players are tied on goals, we’ve put them in order of who has the better goals-per-minute ratio.

10. Cristian Tello – 6 goals

The former Barcelona man joined Al Fateh back in January after a short spell with Los Angeles FC. He’s quickly made an impact at his new club too with 11 goals in 27 appearances across all competitions.

Six of those strikes have come in the Saudi Pro League this season and Tello has been Al Fateh’s main man so far. The 32-year-old has played out wide and through the middle this season and he’s looked razor sharp in front of goal.

Cristian Tello’s goal tonight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/INrZw8VqRa

— Saudi Xtra (@SaudiXtra) August 18, 2023

9. Bernard Mensah – 6 goals

Al-Tai managed to land a bargain deal in the summer as Mensah joined the club on a free transfer. With six goals in his first 11 matches for the club, the attacking midfielder has been a superb addition so far.

8. Georges-Kevin N’Koudou – 6 goals

The 28-year-old winger was tempted to the Saudi Pro League by Damac in the summer. N’Koudou struggled to make an impact in the Premier League with Tottenham, but he hasn’t had any of those troubles in his new surroundings.

After enjoying some solid years with Besiktas, N’Koudou has looked good in his new surroundings so far. He’s currently averaging 0.58 goals per 90 and looks set to have a great season.

7. Salem Al-Dawsari – 7 goals

Arguably one of the finest players that Saudi Arabia have ever produced, Al-Dawsari has enjoyed another prolific start to the new campaign.

He was Al Hilal’s designated penalty taker, but now that a certain Serbian striker from Fulham has arrived, we can’t see him getting many anymore.

6. Mourad Batna – 7 goals

The Moroccan winger enjoyed a stint in the United Arab Emirates before moving to Saudi Arabia in 2020. Batna is now closing in on 100 appearances for Al Fateh and has started the new campaign extremely well with seven goals, to keep his name up alongside the stars of the show.

He’s got all the skills and trickery you would expect from a Moroccan winger and his goal collection from this season isn’t too shabby either.

Sometimes, you just need to go Route One! 🛣️

No messing about from Mourad Batna 🇲🇦#RoshnSaudiLeague | @EnFatehclub pic.twitter.com/qVFaaq4ZNw

— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) June 15, 2023

5. Moussa Dembele – 7 goals

The former Fulham, Celtic and Lyon forward hasn’t wasted any time in impacting things at his new club. Now turning out for Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq, the Frenchman has been as prolific as ever in the opening months of the season.

Al-Ettifaq started the new campaign well, but have slumped to seventh in the table having been on an inconsistent run of late. Dembele will no doubt have a huge role to play in the season to come.

4. Karim Benzema – 8 goals

Along with scoring eight goals, Benzema has also created 13 big chances for his teammates which is more than any other player in the league.

We were never in doubt that the Frenchman would be able to acclimatise to his new surroundings and while there has been some drama behind the scenes at Al-Ittihad, Benzema seems to be focused on the task at hand.

Reports claimed that Benzema didn’t see eye to eye with former coach Nuno Espirito Santo who was recently sacked. Fingers crossed that incoming coach Marcelo Gallardo gets the best out of the former Real Madrid man.

A hat trick for @Benzema ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ #yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/sIk5kerxLZ

— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) November 10, 2023

3. Talisca – 8 goals

The unsung hero at Al-Nassr now that several stars have joined the team, Talisca remains the side’s chief creator.

On top of eight goals in as many league games, the Brazilian has assisted twice and created plenty of chances for his teammates.

2. Aleksandar Mitrovic – 11 goals

After speculation throughout the summer that Mitrovic was headed to Saudi Arabia, Al Hilal finally tempted Fulham to let go of their star man for a whopping £50million fee.

But so far, Mitrovic has been worth every penny. The Serbian has fired in 11 goals from his first 11 games, including a hat-trick against Al-Ittihad. Clutch – and we’d hope so for the king’s ransom he’s most likely earning.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 13 goals

Who else? There’s a reason he’s the highest-paid player in the league and he continues to deliver into his late thirties. We dread to think what sort of ludicrous goalscoring bonus he will no doubt have in his contract too.

After narrowly missing out on the league title last time around, Ronaldo will have his sights firmly set on glory with Al-Nassr this season. You can tell he’s stuck up a real bond with his new club already.

The Al-Nassr fans chant ‘Ronaldo, Ronaldo.’

Cristiano Ronaldo asks for more. 😂💛 pic.twitter.com/mziVsXiVkZ

— TC (@totalcristiano) September 22, 2023

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