2023-24 RSL Fantasy Team of the Season

One of the milestones of the 2023-24 Roshn Saudi League season was the launch of the brand new RSL Fantasy game in November 2023. Within a short span of time, more than 180,000 managers from 50 countries signed up for the game, competing for prizes of up to SAR 500,000.

Predictably, it was champions Al Hilal who dominated the inaugural RSL Fantasy Team of the Season, with five of their players featuring in the Dream Team, while Cristiano Ronaldo was the outright best performer in the game - justifying his status as its most expensive player.

Now the 2023-24 campaign has come to a close, here’s your RSL Fantasy Team of the Season.

Goalkeeper:

Paulo Victor (Al Ettifaq) – 104 points

Yassine Bounou and Edouard Mendy might be the two goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in the RSL this season, but Al Ettifaq’s Paulo Victor racked up the most Fantasy points thanks to his combination of eight clean sheets, one penalty save and 59 saves since the launch of the game.

The 37-year-old has been ever present and delivered returns in 13 of the 21 matches. His peak-performance return of 14 points in the penultimate match against Al Shabab ensured he finished nine points clear off his nearest chasers, Mendy and Mailson.

Defence:

Saud Abdulhamid (Al Hilal) – 112 points

Despite missing two matches since November, Saud Abdulhamid was the best-performing defender in RSL Fantasy by a country mile - a testament to the qualities of the right-back, both in defence and attack.

Abdulhamid produced three goals, three assists and eight clean sheets since the launch of the game, making him the only defender to produce triple-digit total points. Throughout this period, the 24-year-old returned double-digits on three occasions, with his top performances peaking at 13 points twice: at home against Al Wehda and away at Al Taawoun.

Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal) – 88 points

The second of Al Hilal’s defence inclusions in this team is former Napoli and Chelsea man Kalidou Koulibaly. The centre-back’s attacking contributions have been limited to one goal, but he more than made up for it with solid defensive displays and a consistent presence in the starting XI.

No outfield player has played more minutes for the RSL champions since November than Koulibaly’s 1743. In that period, he completed the 90 minutes 18 times, had eight clean sheets and missed only one match.

Pedro Rebocho (Al Khaleej) – 89 points

The only inclusion from outside the top six teams in the RSL table, Pedro Rebocho has been a revelation for Al Khaleej this season. The Portuguese left-back was on the bench for a mere nine minutes since November, taken off in the 83rd minute against Damac and the 88th minute Al Hilal, otherwise starting and finishing all 21 matches, amassing 1881 minutes.

That consistency was what set Rebocho apart. He may have produced attacking returns only once, but the 29-year-old has contributed to his side’s seven clean sheets - placing him second among defenders with 89 points despite his team finishing 12th.

Midfield:

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al Hilal) – 134 points

The highest-performing midfielder in this season’s RSL Fantasy is Al Hilal’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The former Lazio captain has been an inspired signing for the champions and the numbers show it. The man known as "SMS" finished the campaign 15 points clear of any other midfielder.

Milinkovic-Savic missed only the final game, against Al Wehda, by which point he had already amassed 1585 minutes of play, bagging eight goals and 11 assists since November. Add in seven clean sheets, nine attacking bonus points and as many defensive bonus points, and you have a winning formula. Impressively for a combative midfielder, Milinkovic-Savic received only three yellow cards.

Ruben Neves (Al Hilal) – 119 points

Milinkovic-Savic’s midfield partner Ruben Neves has been just as good for the Riyadh side. The former Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers captain might not have matched his partner’s scoring record, but he also has 11 assists to his name since November.

Neves has returned double digits on three occasions, including a personal-best tally of 11 twice - against Al Hazem and Al Okhdood, where he delivered two assists and a clean sheet both times. The 27-year-old, also signed last summer, betters his teammate in terms of bonus points, with 14 attacking and 14 defensive points.

Otavio (Al Nassr) – 110 points

One of two Al Nassr players to feature in the RSL Fantasy Team of the Season is Neves’ international teammate Otavio. The diminutive midfielder has been productive, contributing seven goals and six assists since November.

Add in five clean sheets and 18 combined bonus points, and Otavio takes his place as the third best-performing midfielder in the game, edging out theoretically more attack-minded Al Nassr colleagues such as Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca by virtue of his consistency.

Alvaro Medran (Al Ettifaq) – 107 points

The Spanish magician might have taken a deeper role since swapping Al Taawoun for Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq in January, but that did not stop Alvaro Medran from finishing the season as one of the best XI in RSL Fantasy.

The midfielder started every game for both sides since November, racking up 1869 minutes, and in the process scoring one and assisting six. But it is the bonus points that have made the difference for the former Real Madrid man, with a whopping 34 to earn his place in the Dream Team.

Forwards:

Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) – 170 points

Having broken records left, right and centre, there was little doubt Cristiano Ronado would be the highest-scoring RSL Fantasy player. The Al Nassr captain netted 22 of his league-record 35 goals after the launch of the game, and added six assists. Surprisingly, and perhaps impressively, only four of Ronaldo’s 170 points came from bonuses.

The Portuguese superstar produced an incredible eight double-digit performances, including 12 points on the final matchday when he struck twice to break Abderrazak Hamdallah's record. Ronaldo also delivered the highest individual game return of the season, reaching a record of 23 points from a hat-trick and two assists in Al Nassr’s 8-0 thumping of Abha.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al Hilal) – 142 points

Hot on Ronaldo’s trail in the scoring race for extended periods of the season was Al Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrovic. The former Fulham goal machine, in his debut campaign in the Kingdom, could have been even closer to the top had it not been for an injury that sidelined him for three RSL matches back in April.

Despite the absence, the Serbian striker still recorded 18 goals and six assists since November, placing him second among all players in the league. Mitrovic reached double-digits six times, with a high of 14 points in the 9-0 triumph over Al Hazem in which he returned two goals and an assist.

Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli)  – 117 points

The Algerian magician is the only Al Ahli representative in this season's Dream XI. No player in the RSL produced more assists than Riyad Mahrez’s 12, and eight of those came after the launch of the game - adding to his six goals also.

Perhaps demonstrating his different style as a creator rather than a hitman, Mahrez stands out among forwards with 24 bonus points. The former Leicester City and Manchester City winger produced double figures three times, with a high of 15 points from a goal and two assists in Al Ahli’s 5-1 home win over Abha.