Saudi Pro League: End of season awards 2023-24

The curtain has come down on the most high-profile season in the history of the Saudi Pro League as Al Hilal won a record-extending 19th title ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Last summer’s influx of star names has helped elevate the quality of the league like never before and their presence has seen Saudi football’s reputation enhanced on a global level.

“The 2023-24 season will be remembered as a milestone moment in the growth of elite football in Saudi Arabia,” Saudi Pro League CEO Omar Mugharbel said last week. “Some of the best players in the world chose the Saudi League to showcase their incredible talents alongside the next generation of young Saudi talent.

“Their arrival amplified even further the huge interest in the league from fans, broadcasters and sponsors. It is impossible to overstate how much of a game-changing season 2023-24 has been.”

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Picking out the cream of the crop from the entertaining games and excellent individual performances, here Al Arabiya English hands out its Saudi Pro League end-of-season awards.

Best goalkeeper: Bono (Al Hilal)

The league’s official Golden Glove winner having conceded fewer goals than any other goalkeeper in the league, Bono has made a huge difference since arriving from Sevilla last summer. An assured, reliable figure between the posts, the Morocco goalkeeper has instilled confidence throughout his defense and though Al Hilal has often dominated matches, he has always been ready when required - producing plenty of impressive saves. Only Al Ahli’s Edouard Mendy (15) had more clean sheets than Bono (13) in 2023-24.

Honorable mentions: Nawaf al-Aqidi (Al Nassr), Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli), Paulo Victor (Al Ettifaq), Mailson (Al Taawoun)

Best defender: Ali al-Bulayhi (Al Hilal)

While Al Ettifaq pair Jack Hendry and Abdullah Khatib did an admirable job of helping their team to the league’s second-best defensive record, the meanest backline in the division belonged to Al Hilal. Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly played a vital role in steadying the ship but it is his center-back partner Ali al-Bulayhi who edges him out as the league’s best defender this season. Al-Bulayhi was imperious throughout the campaign - commanding in the air and strong in the tackle - as Al Hilal shipped just 23 league goals.

Honorable mentions: Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal), Jack Hendry (Al Ettifaq), Abdullah Khatib (Al Ettifaq), Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr), Saud Abdulhamid (Al Hilal)

Best midfielder: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al Hilal)

Arguably the Saudi Pro League’s best player overall in terms of performances this season, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been an absolute revelation for Al Hilal. Settling in immediately after joining from Italian club Lazio, Milinkovic-Savic has been an all-action figure in the Al Hilal midfield, forging an excellent partnership with Ruben Neves for the Riyadh giant.

The Serbia midfielder brings a physical presence, precise passing and an ability to arrive late in the box that few players have been able to match this season - his 11 goals and 12 assists have often come at an important moments, including scoring the opening goal in December’s 3-0 Riyadh derby win over Al Nassr.

Honorable mentions: Malcom (Al Hilal), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Georges Kevin N’Koudou (Damac), Talisca (Al Nassr)

Best striker: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)

In his first full season in the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo showed that age is just a number as the now-39-year-old forward netted a record 35 goals on the way to winning the Golden Boot. Finishing seven goals clear of nearest rival Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ronaldo has been at his prolific best with four hat-tricks - against Al Tai, Abha, Al Wehda and Al Fateh - plus additional braces against Al Shabab, Al Ahli, Al Akhdoud and Al Ittihad (twice). Ronaldo continues to provide the sternest of challenges to defenses and is helping to raise the quality of those around him.

Honorable mentions: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al Hilal), Fashion Sakala (Al Fayha), Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad), Firas al-Buraikan (Al Ahli)

Best Saudi player: Saud Abdulhamid (Al Hilal)

A near-ever present for Al Hilal in 2023-24, right-back Saud Abdulhamid has enjoyed a stellar season for the champions. His marauding runs up the right-wing have created many an opening for Al Hilal, while he has also been defensively sound - regularly demonstrating his superb athleticism in getting up and down the right side. He contributed three goals and five assists but beyond those statistics, Abdulhamid’s pace, crossing and calmness on the ball have made him a crucial cog in Hilal’s winning machine.

Honorable mentions: Salem al-Dawsari (Al Hilal), Firas al-Buraikan (Al Ahli), Mohammed al-Kuwaykibi (Al Taawoun), Sultan al-Ghannam (Al Nassr)

Best creator: Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli)

One of the most exciting transfers of last summer, Mahrez came to newly-promoted Al Ahli with a big reputation having just won the Treble with Manchester City. He has not disappointed. Along with fellow Premier League arrival Allan Saint-Maximin, Mahrez has helped make Al Ahli one of the Saudi Pro League’s most entertaining sides this season with a division-leading 14 assists, plus 11 goals too. Mahrez’s magic left foot has conjured some stunning moments and helped Al Ahli qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite in its first season back in the top tier.

Honorable mentions: Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al Hilal), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Alvaro Medran (Al Ettifaq)

Best coach: Jorge Jesus (Al Hilal)

There could be no other winner. The veteran Portuguese coach has masterminded an astounding season with Al Hilal, with myriad records tumbling under his leadership. Al Hilal won the title without losing a game, recording the Saudi Pro League’s highest ever total of points (96) and goals (101) in the process. Jesus also oversaw a club and world-record 34-game winning streak across all competitions and deserves tremendous credit for blending new signings with Saudi talents to create an all-conquering side that only fell short once, in the AFC Champions League semi-final against Al Ain.

Honorable mentions: Luis Castro (Al Nassr), Pericles Chamusca (Al Taawoun), Noureddine Zekri (Al Akhdoud)

Best young prospect: Talal Haji (Al Ittihad)

With multiple records broken at club and international level this season, Talal Haji has burst on to the scene as one of the most exciting young Saudi players in years. The youngest player to ever play in the Saudi Pro League and for the Saudi national team, Haji is only 16 years old but plays with a poise and presence that belies his age.

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Al Ittihad coach Marcelo Gallardo took his time integrating Haji into the team but in the last two games of the season he has looked at home in the starting XI. In the penultimate match against Damac, Haji produced a virtuoso display - contributing two assists and his first senior goal in what was a breakthrough performance.

Honorable mentions: Abdulmalek al-Oyayri (Al Taawoun), Musab al-Juwayr (Al Hilal), Faisal al-Ghamdi (Al Ittihad), Muath Faqihi (Al Taawoun)

Best goal: Alex Telles (Al Nassr)

Unsurprisingly, there are many contenders for this award - including Cristiano Ronaldo’s 35-yard lob against Al Akhdoud, Abderrazak Hamdallah’s acrobatic bicycle kick against Al Riyadh and Amir Sayoud’s mazy slalom against Al Hazm. But the narrow winner, for its sheer technical quality, is Alex Telles’ sensational volley for Al Nassr against Al Ettifaq.

The ball dropped down from height to Brazilian Telles, who watched it precisely on to his foot before unleashing a thunderous first-time volley from 25 yards out that gave goalkeeper Paulo Victor no chance as it flew into the top corner. That a goal of such beauty came from a left-back is what gives Telles the edge.

Best match: Al Ittihad 3-4 Al Hilal (September 1, 2023)

There have been plenty of memorable encounters this season, with both the first Riyadh derby in December - a barnstorming match played out in front of 55,000 fans in the Saudi capital - and, more recently, Al Hazm’s entertaining 4-4 draw with Al Nassr among them. However, it is September’s seven-goal ‘Saudi Clasico’ thriller that takes the prize. Al Hilal was 3-1 down at half-time to the then-reigning Saudi Pro League champions, but launched a thrilling second-half fightback to win 4-3. It was the moment that Al Hilal showed its mettle and laid down a marker in the title race from which Ittihad never recovered and Jesus’ side never looked back.

Read more:

Three takeaways: Al Hilal claim treble with King’s Cup triumph

SPL Week 34: Al Hilal undefeated, Ronaldo wins Golden Boot, Abha and Al Tai relegated

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