Saudi Pro League's biggest problem not even Cristiano Ronaldo is able to solve
The Saudi Pro League has faced its fair share of criticism since the division started to sign the world's biggest names but there is no doubt it has caught the eye of many across the globe, just not necessarily in the stands.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first blockbuster arrival in Saudi Arabia after he signed for Al-Nassr in January. There then followed a summer of spending power, with over £750million spent by Saudi clubs as the likes of Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho joined the exodus from top European sides.
But despite this incoming galaxy of stars, fans are still not flocking to stadiums across the country and attendances are low. At the weekend just 696 supporters watched Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq as they lost 1-0 at Al-Riyadh. This wasn't the only crowd under 1,000 either, as 792 fans saw Al-Akhdoud face Al-Feiha, while just 532 fans were at Al-Hazm's win over Al-Raed.
At the other end of the scale, the highest attendance across the latest round of Saudi Pro League fixtures was at the King Abdullah Sports City where Al-Ahli hosted Al-Wehda in front of 16,919 supporters, just a handful more than the 16,875 who saw Cristiano Ronaldo score for Al-Nassr against Damac FC.
In comparison, there were more supporters watching the match between Bradford City and Wrexham in England's fourth tier on Saturday (21,552), while across League One, two matches saw over 17,000 fans in attendance. Nine Championship fixtures - including 28,449 at Middlesbrough's win over Birmingham - had more supporters in the stadium than any Saudi Pro League game over the weekend.
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The average attendances don't read much better for the Saudi Pro League either. Al-Ittihad, who have N'Golo Kante, Fabinho and Karim Benzema among others at their disposal, have the highest average crowd in the league, with 29,044 turning up for their matches. The other three of the so-called 'big-four' state-backed sides rank next on the list, with Al-Hilal second on 22,381 and Al-Nassr (20,615) and Al-Ahli (19,296) third and fourth.
Karim Benzema's Al-Ittihad boast the highest average attendance in the Saudi Pro League so far this season (Getty Images)However, they are the only four clubs to average more than five-figures so far this season. Every other side, including Gerrard and Henderson's Al-Ettifaq, have below 10,000. Despite playing in front of a 35,000 capacity stadium, Al-Ettifaq's average attendance is 7,021 - less than English fifth-tier side Chesterfield.
The lowest average attendance across the 18 Saudi Pro League teams is at minnows Abha (1,988). Al-Riyadh don't get many more through the turnstiles at 2,139, while Al-Fayha (2,860) complete the bottom three. In contrast, Bury, who play in the ninth tier of English football, currently average 3,336 supporters per-match.
As for the highest individual attendance, an impressive 59,600 watched Al-Hilal draw 1-1 against Al-Fayha in their opening home match of the campaign. Meanwhile the lowest is alarming, with just 133 people turning up to watch Al-Okhdood beat Al-Riyadh 1-0 back in early September. Put simply, when there are no global superstars involved in matches then crowds do not want to turn up at all, and even when there are the interest fluctuates.
Neymar was presented to the Al-Hilal fans as they recorded the highest attendance of the Saudi Pro League season to date against Al-Fayha (Getty Images)Although there has been a notable rise in attendances since this time last year (24 per cent), it won't be quite as quite as high as the Saudi Pro League were hoping after their influx of world superstars. The division has, however, secured some big-money TV deals to broadcast matches in 130 different territories, which has brought in almost four times the amount of revenue compared to last season.
On the pitch, Al-Hilal currently lead the way at the top of the division and are the only unbeaten side, having won eight and drawn two from their opening 10 matches. In second spot is an unfamiliar name in Al-Taawoun, who have picked up an impressive 23 points from a possible 30, while Ronaldo's Al-Nassr sit third on a point less but have a better goal difference than star-studded Al-Ahli in fourth.
Al-Taawoun have made an impressive start to the Saudi Pro League season (Getty Images)Down in fifth, somewhat surprisingly, is last season's champions Al-Ittihad, who have collected six wins and two draws from 10 games, though they do boast the joint-meanest defence in the division. Al-Ettifaq are down in seventh after losing their last two matches, while Al-Raed are the division's current lowest side.
The 11th round of Saudi Pro League matches are set to be pivotal, with as league leaders Al-Hilal facing Al-Ahli in the most high-profile matchup at the King Fahd International Stadium. Former Chelsea duo Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy are set to reunite in this match, while Roberto Firmino, Allan Saint-Maximim, Franck Kessie, Aleksandr Mitrovic, Ruben Neves and Malcom are among the other big-names from both sides.
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