The Saudi Pro League's top performers so far this season have now been revealed, but free-scoring Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is NOT top of the ranking!
Despite scoring 16 goals and bagging seven assists in just 17 games, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is in third place on football statistics website Sofascore's ranking of the best players in the division so far in this campaign.
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The former Manchester United star has made quite the impression since moving to the Gulf state in January, having paved the way for players such as Neymar, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and others in world football to join Saudi clubs.
His influence was also significant on the pitch right from the get-go. He netted 14 times in 16 appearances in his debut season for the Knights of Najd, helping them to a second-place finish that secured their spot in the AFC Champions League.
Despite the form he has managed to maintain since making the move, however, he places in only third place among the best performers in the division this season, according to Sofascore.
It is Al Fateh's Mourad Batna who is considered the Saudi Pro League's top star so far in 2023/24 with an average match rating of 8.11. The midfielder has scored seven goals and also creating seven further strikes.
Behind him in second place is Al Ittihad star Igor Coronado, who has an average match rating of 8.09 with four goals and five assists in 10 appearances, and his contributions have helped his side to fifth place going into the international break.
In third spot is the Portuguese striker with an average rating of 8.07, even though he has more goals than Batna and Coronado put together.
The former Real Madrid star's former teammate Benzema is also in the top 10, along with ex-Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez and former Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Here is the Saudi Pro League's top performers (and their average match ratings) so far this season, per Sofascore:
1. Mourad Batna (8.11)
2. Igor Coronado (8.09)
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (8.07)
4. Karim Benzema (8.03)
5. Salem Al-Dawsari (8.02)
6. Alvaro Medran (7.84)
7. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (7.73)
8. Malcom (7.71)
9. Riyad Mahrez (7.71)
10. Faycal Fajr (7.67)
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