Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping for success this season. Reuters
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping for success this season. Reuters
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping for success this season. Reuters
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping for success this season. Reuters

Saudi Pro League: Can Ronaldo out-score Benzema and inspire title glory?


Wael Jabir
  • English
  • Arabic

All eyes will be on the big names as the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League kicks-off on Friday. Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin will be some of the names featuring in the opening match between Al Ahli and Al Hazem, but beyond the star power, the competition offers some interesting storylines to follow over the course of the coming season. Here we look at five of these compelling subplots.

One more league title for Ronaldo?

Despite being one of the most decorated players in the history of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo has not won a league title in three years, a drought the Portuguese has only experienced once in his career, between 2013 and 2016, while at Real Madrid – but it was a period in which he won two Champions Leagues.

Ronaldo’s last league success dates back to his second season at Juventus in 2019-20. Since then, he’s had to watch Inter Milan, Manchester City and most recently Al Ittihad beat his teams to the title. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had a productive half-season in Riyadh last term, bagging 14 goals, and his team has since bolstered their squad with the likes of Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana and Alex Telles. Is it time for one last league title for one of the greatest players of all time?

The race for the golden boot

Al Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah has been the league's top scorer three times in the last five seasons, including twice in Al Nassr colours. The other two winners of the award in that period, Odion Ighalo and Bafetimbi Gomis, have since left the league, while Hamdallah is now partnering Karim Benzema up front.

With Ronaldo leading the line for Al Nassr and the arrival of the likes of Firmino, Benzema, Moussa Dembele and others, the 2023-24 season promises a thrilling race on the scoring front. Don’t rule out league veterans like Al Taawoun’s Leandre Tawamba and Al Raed’s Mohammed Fouzair, or rising Saudi stars such as Al Fateh’s Firas Al Buraikan, who ended last season with an impressive tally of 18 goals, just three behind Hamdallah's tally.

Can Gerrard inspire Al Ettifaq to unlikely glory?

Al Ettifaq might not be one of the established big five in the country – this honour is reserved for Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, Al Ahli and Al Shabab – but Steven Gerrard’s new side have done impressive business, attracting Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, former Celtic and Lyon striker Dembele and Scottish defender Jack Hendry.

The side from Dammam were once a force to reckon with in the league, becoming Saudi Arabia’s first ‘Invincibles’ when they won the league in 1982-83 without a single defeat, then adding their second title four years later. Since then, the club has gone through some difficult times and even experienced a spell in the second tier. In recent years, Al Ettifaq have seen a resurgence and were able to break into the top four as recently as 2017-18. If Gerrard can lead them to title glory against the odds, his status in the East of Saudi Arabia might just rival that on Merseyside.

The return of Al Riyadh

For the first time in over two decades, the capital Riyadh will be represented by four clubs in the Saudi Pro League. The established trio of Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Shabab have often competed at the top end of the table, but they are joined this season by a fourth outfit that have suffered a long absence in the lower tiers of Saudi football.

Al Riyadh FC were relegated from the top division in 2004-05 and have since dropped to the third division before making their way back up to the top. The team in black and red do, however, have a proud tradition in the competition. In the 1990s they provided the national team with many players and finished runners-up in 1993-94 and in third place the following season.

Following their promotion, Al Riyadh recruited some of the most experienced names in the league, including the likes of Zimbabwe captain Knowledge Musona and Uruguay international goalkeeper Martin Campana. Will that be enough to see them re-establish themselves among the elite beyond next season?

Al Okhdood, the ultimate outsiders

For all the excitement and debate about the top teams, one team in the newly-expanded competition stands out as a complete unknown quantity even for the most seasoned followers of Saudi football.

Al Okhdood (Arabic for ‘The Ditch’) are not only geographically the remotest of all 18 teams, but they are also the only ones to have never competed in the top division before this season. The club from the southernmost city of Najran, on the border with Yemen, have made some intriguing signings such as former Barcelona starlet Alex Collado and Romanian playmaker Florin Tanase from UAE’s Al Jazira. Their rise from obscurity could provide the basis for the most romantic underdog story in the Saudi Pro League this season.

T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures

Tuesday, October 29

Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE

Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman

Wednesday, October 30

Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one

Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two

Thursday, October 31

Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four

Friday, November 1

Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one

Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two

Saturday, November 2

Third-place playoff, 2.10pm

Final, 7.30pm

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

How does ToTok work?

The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.

Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.

 

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm

Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh209,000 

On sale: now

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Napoleon
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Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury

Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')

Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)

Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOlive%20Gaea%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vivek%20Tripathi%2C%20Jessica%20Scopacasa%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELicensed%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20World%20Trade%20Centre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Climate-Tech%2C%20Sustainability%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241.1%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECornerstone%20Venture%20Partners%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)

Tottenham 1
Kane (48)

South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate 

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Essentials

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours. 

The package

Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Fifa Club World Cup:

When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid

Updated: August 11, 2023, 5:43 AM`