Al-Ahli are one of the ‘big four’, owned by the same country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) that backs Newcastle United and finished third in the Saudi Pro League last season.
Al-Hilal were dominant and strolled to a 19th domestic league title, finishing 14 points clear of Al-Nassr, and extending their own world record for consecutive match wins to 34.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ruben Neves arrived from Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Serbia forward was outscored only by Ronaldo, and Neves was out-assisted only by Mahrez, while the defence which included Kalidou Koulibaly was miserly.
The big question is when Neymar, who played just five games before damaging knee ligaments in October, will be back. September is the hope.
Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr ended the season empty-handed despite scoring 100 goals and finishing 17 points above Al-Ahli in third.
The fact that Al-Nassr were a winning machine has not stopped the pressure on coach Luis Castro after a poor pre-season, which culminated on Saturday in a 4-1 defeat by Al-Hilal in the Super Cup final.
Ronaldo will once again dominate the headlines, though it remains to be seen if he can match his 35 goals last season – a league record. The 39-year-old has the likes of Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte and Marcelo Brozovic alongside him.
Jeddah’s Al-Ittihad were deserved champions in 2022-23, but finished fifth last year despite signing N’Golo Kante, Benzema and Fabinho. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo did not last long, and neither did his successor Marcelo Gallardo.
The Argentine has been replaced by Laurent Blanc. With no Asian Champions League commitments and the signing of Moussa Diaby from Aston Villa for about £50m in the summer’s biggest deal so far, fans are expectant.
Read More: What has happened to the big spending in the Saudi Pro League?
