The new Saudi Pro League season kicks off Thursday, and while the era of the ageing megastar is supposedly winding down, Cristiano Ronaldo - now 41 and just 24 goals shy of 1,000 career goals - is still very much the elephant in the room. Or should we say, the camel in the desert. Having scored 102 goals in 107 league games for Al-Nassr, the milestone is practically inevitable this season. But the league, which splashed out a whopping $957m (£710m) in the summer of 2023, is now hoping to get a bit more value for its money. That spending spree bought thousands of articles, dozens of international broadcasting deals, and an untold number of people worldwide wearing the yellow CR7 Al-Nassr shirt. Now, the focus is on lifting the standard of Saudi Arabian football as a whole, not just the clubs - because apparently, buying every ageing superstar on the planet doesn't automatically make your national team good. No Mohamed Salah in sight this season, but big names still loom, like a 41-year-old shadow that refuses to retire.