Marcelo Gallardo has reportedly agreed to become the next manager of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad. The Middle Eastern club previously sacked Nuno Espirito Santo earlier in the month after a poor run of form. Al-Ittihad sat sixth in the standings when they fired the former Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur manager. Gallardo is set to […]

Professional soccer in Saudi Arabia has received a lot of attention recently. The league has been around since 1976, but this season, it has attracted more foreign superstars than ever before. Cristiano Ronaldo signing with Al-Nassr in January was the first major move. It saw Saudi Arabia take its first step toward realizing its vision. […]

Al-Hilal is pondering a major adjustment to Neymar Jr's contract following his major injury with Brazil. The Brazilian superstar signed a two-year agreement with the Saudi team for around $160 million each season. He moved there from Paris Saint-Germain in August for $95 million. Neymar was playing for Brazil last month when he and his […]

Newcastle executive Dan Ashworth has confirmed that the Magpies might explore the Saudi market in January to find a replacement for the suspended Sandro Tonali. The Italian midfielder is now serving a 10-month ban after FIFA extended the worldwide suspension. The 23-year-old was sanctioned by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), last week for violating betting […]

There is growing speculation that Manchester City midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, could potentially leave. Apparently, the European champions are seriously contemplating parting ways with him before his contract expires. De Bruyne last extended his contract in 2021. He did so using statistical analysis to determine the best place for his future in soccer. Since his […]

Senegal star Sadio Mane has officially purchased lower-level French side Bourges Foot 18. The former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward recently joined Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr earlier this summer. Mane's move to the Middle East came with a massive pay raise. According to a recent report, Mane rakes in around $48 million annually […]

France Minister of Interior Gerald Darmanin has claimed that Karim Benzema has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The group has been labeled by several nations as a terrorist organization. This includes Saudi Arabia, the country where Benzema currently plays club soccer for Al-Ittihad. The French official made the claims during an interview on CNews Network. […]

The Saudi Pro League has an awful lot of money to spend on players. A summer window in which they spent heavily to recruit some of the globe's biggest stars has influenced the wealth scale in the sport. The annual World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players list by Forbes was released on Friday. This year's table predictably […]

There has been plenty of talk about the rise of professional soccer inside Saudi Arabia. Although previously relatively unknown, the Saudi Pro League essentially exploded onto the scene when Cristiano Ronaldo decided to join Al Nassr in January. The move may have shocked many around the globe, but money certainly talked. Ronaldo is currently earning […]

Jose Mourinho has claimed that he sees himself coaching in Saudi Arabia in the future. The current Roma manager, self-described as the "Special One," is widely regarded as one of the top coaches in Europe. He has previously collected silverware at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester United. Mourinho made the remarks during […]

Saudi outfit Al-Nassr is courting Alessando Del Piero to take the role of sporting director there. The team captained by Cristiano Ronaldo has been on fire, attracting star players from all around Europe. Following their recent on-field success, the Riyadh-based side aims to bolster their administrative ranks. Del Piero retired from soccer at the beginning […]

Debating the best soccer leagues in the world can be a fun exercise. But beyond personal opinions, it's possible to quantify the argument with some data to back it up. Thanks to the sports analytics gurus at Opta, we can do just that. Opta's Power Rankings assign an "ability score" of 0-100 to each club, […]

High salaries in the Saudi Pro League may entice referees from the English Premier League. They may follow in the footsteps of some of those notable players who jumped to the Middle East this summer. The Saudi Pro League signed high-profile players during the most recent transfer window. That helped bring international attention to the […]

Following Al-Nassr's latest Saudi Pro League triumph on Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo responded to his skeptics. The soccer star's arrival in Saudi Arabia in January 2022 has been met with widespread acclaim. His presence sparked a dramatic shift in the sport, with numerous high-profile European players signing with Saudi Pro League clubs. A revival of sorts […]

These days, more than half of all matches in soccer leagues go on for more than 100 minutes. New data shows that 52.4% of league games exceed 100 minutes. This metric varies considerably from league to league. For example, the Middle East has the highest and Finland the lowest. The CIES Football Observatory analyzed the […]