2023-24 Roshn Saudi League - in record-breaking numbers

The recently concluded 2023-24 Roshn Saudi League was one for the history books, with a slew of records tumbling and new benchmarks set.

Al Hilal were rampant title winners, Cristiano Ronaldo showed once more why for many he is considered the greatest of all time, while the rapidly growing league encouraged more fans to attend in person and, at the same time, reached a bigger worldwide audience than ever before. 

Here, we list some of the key numbers that contributed to 2023-24 being a huge success, on and off the pitch. 

6,720,000 - Digitally, the RSL social media channels grew by 6.72 million followers, representing a 141 percent increase from the start of the season.

2,495,030 - The total number of fans that attended RSL matches - up from 2,249,116 in the previous campaign and amounting to an 11% rise.

59,600 - This season's highest recorded single-match attendance - Matchweek 2: Al Hilal v Al Fayha. It was one of six games to break beyond the 50,000 mark.

9,000 - The 9,000th goal in the history of the RSL was scored - by Al Nassr's Anderson Talisca in the 4-4 draw with Al Hazem in Matchweek 22.

950 - Al Hilal surpassed the 900 goals in RSL history reaching a total of 950. Meanwhile, Al Nassr broke the 800-goal barrier (836) and Al Ahli surpassed 700 goals (763). Al Raed, also, went past 500 goals (538).

909 - The total number of goals scored in the RSL this season - the highest number scored in a single season in the history of the competition. 

304 - Al Hilal became the first team in RSL history to achieve more than 300 victories.

238 - The highest number of goals were scored in final 15 minutes of matches, with 238.

160 - More than 160 countries broadcast the RSL on 38 global platforms, taking the league to more football fans than ever before.

156 - The number of players from 54 countries outside of the Kingdom, bolstered with major international signings, such as Karim Benzema, Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, N’Golo Kante, Georginio Wijnaldum, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ruben Neves.

129 - Abderazzak Hamdallah became the second-highest scorer in the history of the RSL, with 129 goals, behind only Omar Al-Somah (144). He is also third in most goal contributions (150 – 129 goals and 21 assists), trailing Nasser Al Shamrani (157) and Al Somah (164).

101 - For the first time, two teams finished a RSL season with 100+ goals - Al Hilal (101) and Al Nassr (100). These two teams accounted for 22% of the total goals in the campaign.

96 - Al Hilal secured the highest number of points in a single season in RSL history. They also achieved the highest percentage of points earned (94%), the highest win rate (91%), and the highest goals-per-match average (2.97).

87 - Abha now hold the record for conceding the most goals in a single season in the RSL, with 87.

54 - Abderazzak Hamdallah’s goal against Al Riyadh in Matchweek 20 became the second-longest distance scored from in the league since this data has been recorded (54 metres), after Moustapha Zeghba's goal against Al Taawoun in 2022 (91m).

37 - Goal scored following the most passes – Sadio Mane for Al Nassr against Al Fayha in Matchweek 28.

35 - Cristiano Ronaldo set a new record by scoring 35 goals in a single season, making it the highest individual goal tally in RSL history. The Al Nassr captain also contributed to a record total of 46 goals (35 goals and 11 assists).

28 - Aleksandar Mitrovic became the top scorer for Al Hilal in a single season, with 28 goals.

27.5 - The average age of players dropped to 27.5, down from 29 the previous campaign. This was helped in part because the age eligibility for young players was reduced from 18 to 16 years old, to aid with developing young Saudi talent.

24 - A -Hilal achieved the longest winning streak in the league’s history, with 24 consecutive victories. They also boasted the longest home winning streak (16), and the longest consecutive scoring streak (36 matches).

20 - Al Hilal and Al Fateh earned the most points after trailing in the RSL this season (20 points each), while Al Fateh also lost the most points after taking the lead (24).

18 - This season witnessed the participation of the largest number of teams in the RSL, with 18. Consequently, it was the first season to feature 34 rounds in the history of the competition.

16 - Talal Haji became the youngest player to score in the history of the RSL. He notched the winner against Al Okhdood in Matchweek 23 when aged 16 years and 175 days.

14 - Al Hilal became the first team in RSL history to finish a season with a 14-point lead over the runner-up, surpassing their own record of 13 points in the 2010-2011 campaign.

13 - The number of assists registered by Riyad Mahrez, the 2023-24 season's highest.

5 - Roberto Firmino is the fourth player and Malcom the fifth to score a hat-trick on their RSL debut. The pair notched on the opening matchweek, against Al Hazem and Abha respectively. Ironically, both were 3-1 wins.

4 - For the fourth time, a team completed an RSL season undefeated - Al Hilal did it this campaign and were also the first to, in 2010-11. In between, Al Shabab in 2011-2012 and Al Ahli in 2014-2015.