Even though the flurry of big-name moves to the Saudi Pro League appears to have slowed a little since the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and, more recently, Ivan Toney ended up there for large sums of money. Records are still being broken. Italian striker Mateo Regeui recently put pen to paper with Al Qadsiah, as the forward takes up a four-year contract after a short burst in the spotlight with Serie A club Atalanta.
The Rise of Retegui
At the start of the last campaign, the name of the relatively unknown Mateo Retegui likely wouldnโt have drawn much attention in the list of options for a Serie A Top Goalscorer bet. Especially not sitting among the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez, and Marcus Thuram.
Leading bookmakers like Betway pride themselves on posting accurate odds across a massive range of Serie A markets. Detailed market analysis covers everything from the Scudetto winner to the top goalscorer, along with pre-match and in-play odds for every match of the season.
But now and again, a betting dark horse like Retegui upsets those industry odds. The forward made a mockery of the pre-season Serie A top scorer market by finishing the campaign six goals clear of his closest challenger, Moise Kean. But he wonโt be back in the mix for the 2025/26 Capocannoniere as he heads off to new pastures.
Does The Move Make Sense?
The move is quite eye-catching given the crazy journey that Mateo Retegui has had to get to this position, all essentially on the back of being a one-season wonder. The Argentina-born forward was only signed in August last year by Atalanta as a replacement for Gianluca Scamacca, who had picked up an anterior cruciate ligament injury โ which led to a long-term absence from action.
Atalanta grabbed Retegui from fellow Serie A club Genoa in a move that didnโt make a lot of headlines either, as the deal was only for around โฌ28 million. Now he moves on for a reported fee around the โฌ65 million mark, which is a record transfer fee for an Italian player. According to Calciomercato, Atalanta will receive a total of โฌ80 million, including add-ons for Retegui.
After bolting out of the blue to become Serie Aโs top goalscorer, Retegui leaves Atalanta after just one season, and in a strange symmetry, has been purchased as a replacement. This time itโs for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who left Al-Qadsiah after just one year of his two-year contract to return to Marseille on a free transfer.
Did Atalanta Get It Right?
Perhaps the biggest question is why would Atalanta cash in on a striker who fits their system and performed so well in the last campaign? Thatโs one for the club, but certainly the profit margin on the player in the space of one season was likely a substantial factor.
But they may also recognise that there was every chance that Retegui was going to be a one-season wonder and were prepared to cash in on his exploits. During his first season in Italy with Genoa, Retegui produced seven goals in 29 games, hardly setting the scoring charts alight, and he was unproven when Atalanta got him at the start of last season.
Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini saw the potential in the rough diamond and got him to move to Bergamo. Gasperini, known for a strong personality, is a proven class act at developing and polishing players, and he certainly took Retegui to new heights.
Whatโs In It For Mateo?
For Retegui, the move to the Saudi Pro League makes sense. Thereโs not going to be such a big spotlight or pressure on him to repeat the goalscoring feats of last season, and playing at a lower level of quality is likely to keep him among the goals and potentially in the mind of new Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso.
Retegui flourished under Gasperiniโs bold, attacking football and was a key part of a team that persistently pushed forward to create lots of chances in games. That brought the best out of Retegui, but thereโs no guarantee that heโll be playing in anywhere near the same kind of system, with the same type of tactical support as Al-Qadsiah. Still, looking at the man he replaces, Aubameyang, he scored 21 goals in 36 matches (all competitions) last term for the club.
This could well be a case of Mateo getting a golden payday while he is in the limelight, reportedly worth โฌ20 million per season over a four-year contract. In contrast, he was earning around โฌ2.8 million per year at Atalanta, so the move is a massive financial reward for him. Itโs a golden egg that he takes now instead of risking struggling with scoring levels in the upcoming Serie A season, and ultimately seeing his value tank.
Saudi Pro League Record Transfers
To date, Brazilโs Neymar holds the Saudi Pro League transfer record, when he cost Al-Hilal โฌ90 million in 2023. Former Premier League player with Aston Villa, Jhon Duran is in second spot for his โฌ77 million transfer to Al-Nassr, with Retegui moving into third place in the all-time transfers.
Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr on a free transfer, as did his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema. Both of them commanded big salaries, with Ronaldoโs reported to be close to a staggering โฌ200 million per year (gross).
