Ollie Watkins has completed his move from Aston Villa to Al-Hilal, becoming the latest in a long line of former Premier League stars to join the Saudi Pro League.
Villa bagged a cool £50m for a striker who will turn 31 in December, but Watkins is still very much at an age where he can contribute and is sure to be a star in the Pro League.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a combined XI of former Premier League stars who are currently playing in the Saudi Pro League. There are some huge names to go through, so read on.
Saudi Pro League combined XI of ex-Premier League players
GK: Edouard Mendy
Edouard Mendy’s stay at Chelsea was relatively short but incredibly successful, winning Champions League, Fifa Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup titles, while also reaching three domestic cup finals. He left for Al-Ahli in 2023 and has helped them win two AFC Champions Leagues and a Saudi Super Cup so far, keeping 50 clean sheets in 117 appearances. He also remains Senegal’s No.1 goalkeeper.
CB: Chancel Mbemba
It’s been a long time since Chancel Mbemba was a part of the Newcastle United squad that was relegated and then promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt. So long, in fact, that it’s shocking to find out he’s still only 32 years old.
Mbemba recently joined Al-Diriyah after a highly productive spell at FC Porto — winning two league titles — and further stays at Marseille and Lille.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly was heralded as the world’s best centre-back during his Napoli days, but he never quite hit those heights during his one year at Chelsea.
Now 35, he’s spent the last three years with Al-Hilal, winning a Saudi Pro League title and two Saudi Cups among other honours.
CB: Malang Sarr
Malang Sarr was an exciting young talent at Chelsea, but fell victim to the club’s famous ‘loan army’. Following a productive year with Lens, the 27-year-old now turns out for NEOM SC.
RWB: Francisco Trincao
There was a lot of excitement when Francisco Trincao arrived on loan at Wolves from Barcelona in 2021, but he just didn’t adjust to the Premier League.
He enjoyed far more success at Sporting CP, however, registering 47 goals and 51 assists in 208 appearances to help the Lions win two Primeira Liga titles in a row, breaking into the Portuguese national team along the way.
However, at just 26 years old, he made the move to Saudi Arabia this summer, joining Al-Ahli.
CM: Tijjani Reijnders
Tijjani Reijnders arrived with much fanfare at Manchester City last summer, but after a promising start, he fell off hard.
That didn’t stop the midfielder from being a starter for the Netherlands throughout the World Cup group stage this summer, but he recently joined Al-Qadsiah despite plenty of European interest.
CM: Ruben Neves
Ruben Neves was among the first wave of top talents to leave top European football behind for the Saudi Pro League, doing so in 2023 right when it felt like he was hitting his prime.
That hasn’t stopped the midfielder remaining an important part of the Portuguese national team, picking up 69 caps so far and winning two Nations League titles. With Al-Hilal, he’s picked up five trophies while registering 25 goals and 35 assists in 138 appearances.
LWB: Crysencio Summerville
There was absolutely no shortage of interest from around the Premier League and Europe for Crysencio Summerville, who registered seven goals and three assists in 34 appearances across all competitions last season, despite West Ham’s relegation.
However, it was a shock move to Saudi Arabia that awaited the 24-year-old Netherlands international, who signed for Al-Hilal to the tune of £55m plus add-ons.
FW: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s effect on the Saudi Pro League is impossible to summarise in a couple of short paragraphs. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 131 goals in 151 appearances for Al-Nassr since joining in 2023, and finally won his first league title with the club last season.
Ronaldo is still going strong at 41 years old and his transformative influence continues to provide the platform for other huge European names to make the leap East.
FW: Ollie Watkins
The latest big star to move to Saudi Arabia, Ollie Watkins leaves Aston Villa with an incredible legacy as their record Premier League goalscorer, Europa League winner and the club’s only post-1960s player to break the 100-goal mark.
Villa have received a huge fee from Al-Hilal for the striker and have already replaced him with Nicolas Jackson. How he does in the Pro League remains to be seen.
FW: Sadio Mane
A Liverpool legend, Sadio Mane was clearly coming down from his peak during his one year with Bayern Munich in 2022/23. With that in mind, a move to Saudi Arabia was a smart choice, and he’s since hit 53 goals and 38 assists playing alongside CR7 at Al-Nassr. Mane also remained a key figure for Senegal, sitting second in the nation’s history for caps (132) and first for goals (55) before announcing his international retirement following the 2026 World Cup.
Honourable mentions/substitutes: Marek Rodak, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Josh Brownhill, Joao Felix, Moussa Diaby, Ivan Toney, Darwin Nunez, Steven Bergwijn, Alexandre Lacazette