South African coach Pitso Mosimane's Abha Club will face Cristiano Ronaldo's star-studded Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League encounter on Tuesday evening. Kickoff looks at the vast differences in squad market value and salaries.
Abha's battle to escape relegation does not get any tougher than facing Al-Nassr, who are second on the table, up against a team lying second from bottom.
The Leaders of the South are three points adrift of getting out of the relegation zone, with 15th-placed Al Akhdoud, two points ahead of 17th-placed Abha, also facing a tough encounter against Al Hilal, who have a 12-point lead at the top of the table, on the same evening.
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The mammoth task facing Mosimane's charges is reflected on the market value of both clubs, as Abha's total squad value of just under €20 million (R404 million) is covered by a single player at Al Nassr - Sadio Mane, who on his own has a market value of the same figure.
Al Nassr's total squad market value of €144 million (R2,9 billion) is at least seven times more valuable than Mosimane's Abha, whose most valuable player is Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak, who has a market value of €4,5 million (R90 million), as per Transfermarkt.
In terms of salaries, former Paris Saint-Germain striker Karl Toko Ekambi was reportedly the highest-paid player at Abha before leaving in January, with a salary of £4, 056, 000 (R82 million) per year.
In stark contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo, the highest-paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes, has a base salary of £177, million (R3,5 billion) per year at Al-Nassr.
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Next in line behind Ronaldo at Al-Nassr are Mane and Marcelo Brozovic, who both reportedly have a basic salary of around £35 million (R707 million) per annum.
The clash between the sides is set for 21:00, SA time.
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