... AND CRISTIANO IS THE CATALYST

keeper Bono, and three stars familiar from the English top flight – Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic – have helped the club to a world-record-breaking 28-game winning streak.

Al-hilal bought smartly beyond Neymar last summer, and it is unheralded former Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-savic who has been their star of the season so far.

But, according to Gray, the transfer of Ronaldo (right) to Al-nassr on January 1, 2023 remains the most significant in terms of the Saudis’ aspirations.

Gray said: “Cristiano is the catalyst. Their goal was Lionel Messi or Ronaldo and, if you get one of those, it’s a snowball effect. You’ve seen that with Benzema,

Neymar and this January with Ivan Rakitic – it will continue to entice the big names.

“Ronaldo has made a massive change here in terms of football.”

The Portuguese superstar’s impact on the pitch continues – he has scored 36 goals in 39 games for Al-nassr in all competitions this season.

And Henderson’s exit was certainly bigger news in England than Saudi Arabia.

Gray said: “Players leaving happens in any league in the world. Henderson and Benzema were both at their previous clubs for over a decade before coming here and Henderson had been in England his whole life. It’s a big change – unlike anything they’d have experienced. I know myself it’s tough with a family.” Gray’s view is shared by former Sweden winger Christian Wilhelmsson, 44, who became an Al-hilal fan favourite after moving to Riyadh in 2008 following spells at Roma, Bolton and

Deportivo la Coruna.

Wilhelmsson, a friend and ex-team-mate of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, lives in Dubai and attends Al-hilal games. He said: “Some of these older players have found the league isn’t as easy as they thought.”

But he added: “We are still just 12 months in and if the Saudis are going to really reach their ambitions they will have to keep on injecting this kind of money.”