The best Saudi league jerseys

It could not be otherwise, the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has turned the spotlight on the Saudi league. The impact that the Portuguese generates is as always boundless, like Juventus a few seasons ago, his next team, Al-Nassr Football Club, has already quadrupled its followers on various social media, with numbers obviously only set to grow. The same fate is also reserved for merchandising, with Ronaldo's jersey, which like every year, will record high sales volumes, becoming one of the best-selling jerseys in the entire sporting landscape. And it is precisely on the jerseys that we have decided to focus, pointing our magnifying glass at a league about which very little is known, at least on a sporting level. First of all, it must be known that the current Saudi championship has the same formula as the Italian one, from this year in fact the teams will become 18, with the only difference being that only the club that wins the scudetto is directly qualified for the Asian Champions League. The only and probably big problem is that no TV station in the world has ever bought the rights to the championship, so no one, except in Arabia, has ever seen the 18 clubs play. A problem that will surely now be solved by the impending presence of one of the world's strongest footballers. 

From an aesthetic point of view, it is 'Offside', a brand from Saudi Arabia that sponsors no less than five different teams. Not only indigenous brands, however, Saudi Arabia is also home to a small piece of Italy with Zeus and Erreà sponsoring three different teams. And contrary to what one might expect, the aesthetics of the Saudi league are well taken care of, from the kits with which the teams take the field, to the visual identity of the league. We went in search of the best creations to delve into a league about which we still know very little and of which we will be hearing more and more in the coming months, due to the latest events and the possible 2030 World Cup bid. 

Ettifaq FC Home - Offside

As mentioned, dominating each ranking is Offside, a local brand that sponsors several teams in the Saudi league and has done a good job, producing different jerseys for each team, not using a standard template. Striking is definitely the Ettifaq FC jersey that takes us back 30 years, when Mexico stunned everyone with its kit in the same colour but inspired by the rich South American culture. In the same way, Offside has declined history, colours and culture on the Saudi club's jersey.

Al Shabab Away - Offside

Logos, names in Arabic and non-Arabic, and the date of foundation, on the other hand, are on the Al Shabab jersey, which is also sponsored by Offside. A distinctive jersey that is entirely black but with a pattern that certainly gives it a fantasy that is often missing from the kits of many leagues.

Al Faya Home - Offside

The last mention for Offside concerns one of the oldest Saudi Arabian clubs and the oldest city club, Al Faya. The orange jersey without sponsors won everyone over with its pattern in which a lion's head appears in the centre, tone on tone.

Al-Batin Third - Zeus

One of the most beautiful creations of the Saudi league bears the signature of an Italian brand, Zeus. For Al-Batin, the Italian brand has created a green jersey that recalls the characteristic and intricate territory of the city of the same name. Seeing it, one surely wonders why Zeus has not thought of something similar for its Italian teams such as Salernitana, which has been playing in the top division for two years now.

Al-Nassr Fourth - Duneus

We now come to the team at the centre of attention, Cristiano Ronaldo's next team, Al-Nassr, which unlike the others is the only one to be sponsored by Duneus. If the first jerseys are very simple and a bit banal, the same cannot be said of the fourth one, made in a light purple and with a pattern that recalls typical elements of Arab culture. A jersey definitely promoted with full marks, waiting for Ronaldo to wear it for the first time.

Al-Hilal SFC Home - Mouj

The latest to have caught our attention is the club promising to bring Messi to Saudi Arabia. Clearly, these are still only rumours, but considering the club's economic power, nothing can be taken for granted. And the jersey that the Argentine star might wear is not bad at all, in a blue reminiscent of his Argentine team, exactly the 1986 jersey with which Maradona played a great World Cup. Al-Hilal, however, is sponsored by Mouj and to create this jersey he was inspired by the waves of the sea, which make the whole kit unique and unprecedented.