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By Anthony Nlebem.
The Saudi Arabia Pro League comes alive today as Al Hilal host Al Nassr with both Nigerian’s Odion Ighalo and Cristiano Ronaldo facing off in an epic clash at the King Fahd International Stadium.
The Saudi League is grabbing global attention following the arrival of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo and Ighalo.
Al Hilal are currently fourth on the standings and have not been at their best so far this season.
The hosts slumped to a shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Al Batin in their previous game and will need to work hard to bounce back this week.
Ronaldo’s Al Nassr have been in fine form this season and are second in the league table.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward signed a two-and-a-half-year contract to play in the Saudi Pro League and, according to reports, will receive $75m per year, making him the highest-paid footballer in history.
Also, Ighalo moved to the Saudi Arabian league when he joined Al Shabab FC in the 2020/21 season and scored nine goals, and three assists in 17 appearances across all competitions.
He moved to Al Hilal in the 2021/22 season, had an outstanding performance with 44 matches, scored 30 goals, and created four assists in all competitions.
The 33-year-old’s fine form helped Al Hilal win Saudi Arabia Pro League last season where he also won the Golden Boot award with 24 league goals.
The Nigerian has been in fine form this season and has registered 16 goals, and two assists in 21 matches and is currently the joint top scorer in the League with Al Nassr Brazilian attacker Talisca and Al Ittihad Moroccan forward Abderrazak Hamdallah.
The Portuguese will face stiff battles with Ighalo, Talisca and Hamdallah in the race for the top goals scorer award.
With seven matches left in the season, the Portuguese striker will have to score at least three goals in each game to stand a chance of competing for the Golden Boot race.