As the games come thick and fast in the Saudi Pro League, here are five things we learned from the sixth matchday of the season.
1 Quinones and Mane are the pride of the league
The 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or was released in the middle of the round. The players named belong to the following clubs: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Inter Milan — and Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah.
Sadio Mane helped Al-Nassr take the SPL title and also played a part in Senegal winning the final of the African Cup of Nations in January, though the result was later overturned.
Julian Quinones scored four goals for Mexico at the World Cup but it is domestically where he really shone. The forward won the SPL golden boot in May, scoring a hat-trick in the final game of the season to reach 33 goals.
“This achievement is a source of pride for me. I have worked hard to reach this stage, and I have achieved it,” he said on learning of his nomination.
It means the Big Five leagues of Europe are represented, plus the SPL. It does the competition no harm at all
2 Hilal — and the league — stunned by Neom
What happens when a team starts well and then invests in stars such as Ollie Watkins and Gabriel Martinelli? Not what you would expect.
Al-Hilal losing 2-0 at home to Neom SC was a shock. The hosts had won all five previously, scoring 17 goals and conceding just three. Neom had started well but few gave them a chance against the star-studded Blues.
Defender Kalidou Koulibaly scored an own goal after 15 minutes before Alaa Hejji made it two just before the break. Still, everyone expected fightback in the second half.
It never happened. It was the first league defeat for coach Simone Inzaghi and ended a 47-game unbeaten run.
Al-Hilal fans won’t agree, but it was a good result for the league. It remains to be seen how the team bounces back.
3 Toney on a roller coaster ride, like Al-Ahli
At the moment, Al-Ahli fans don’t know what they are going to get — they went from a 5-0 win over Al-Riyadh to a 3-2 loss against Al-Qadsiah. It was a third loss in four games in all competitions for the Asian champions.
Ivan Toney sums the situation up. The England striker scored both goals for the Jeddah giants, taking his tally for the season for an impressive eight. He managed 32 last season which did not prove quite enough to beat Quinones and looks set for more this time.
At the same time, Toney got into an on-pitch altercation with team-mate Mohamed Abdelrahman. It did not look good but has since been shrugged off. Was it the result of the high standards that Toney demands? Or a sign of the pressure the players are feeling?
And the coach. Much more of this and Marino Pusic, not a popular appointment in August, will be on his way out.
4 Al-Nassr bounce back and make history
When Cristiano Ronaldo scores, it makes headlines around the world. And he did just that on Wednesday as Al-Nassr defeated a stubborn Abha 2-1. It was the kind of header that has been seen many times before and moved him onto 979 career goals.
After the defeat to Al-Ittihad a few days earlier, the team needed to recover. The champions made hard work of what should have been a regulation win, but they got there in the end.
Along the way the Yellows made history, scoring for a 93rd consecutive league game; the last time they failed to find the net was in 2023. It equals a record set by Argentine giants River Plate back in the late 1930s and is an incredible statistic. Coach Ange Postecoglou is unlikely to be too interested in such a record, but it adds a little extra to Saturday’s game at Al-Khaleej.
5 This could be a title race for the ages
After six games, three teams are level on 15 points — Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah are separated only by goal difference. Al-Ittihad are only a single point behind.
There are not many leagues in Europe that have enjoyed genuine title races of late but the SPL had a great one last season and could be set for another this.
Three of the four have lifted league trophy in the last three years and know what is needed to go all the way.
The odd one out is Al-Qadsiah but Brendan Rogders has a team with proven goalscorers from last season and a new star in Tijjani Reijnders, the Dutch midfielder who joined last month from Manchester City. He scored twice against Al-Ahli and looks the part.
The talent is there; it remains to be seen if Al-Qadsiah have the belief to take the crown.
