N'Golo Kante looks a man reborn and £173m-a-year Cristiano Ronaldo is 'much better' since leaving Man United... so how did the other 12 Saudi money men perform in the opening round of Euro 2024?

The summer transfer window of 2023 will be remembered as the one when a new footballing machine powered onto the scene.

Backed by the riches of the Saudi Arabian state, it was the summer when Saudi Pro League (SPL) clubs signed a whole host of world class and Premier League stars - which came just months after Cristiano Ronaldo made the eye-breaking move to Al-Nassr after leaving Man United in acrimonious circumstances.

Many of these players were criticised for supposedly throwing away their careers in search of money, but as we've seen already at Euro 2024, several are still performing at the top level.

Al-Ittihad star N'Golo Kante earned a shock recall to the France squad for the tournament but looked a man reborn in their 1-0 victory over Austria, while Cesc Fabregas claimed Cristiano Ronaldo is performing 'much much better' following 18 months with Al-Nassr.

But how did the other 12 Saudi Pro League stars who are out in Germany get on in the opening round of Euro 2024 fixtures? Mail Sport takes a look...

Jack Hendry

Club: Al-Ettifaq 

Nation: Scotland

Friday's opening game of the tournament against Germany proved to be a baptism of fire for ever-present Al-Ettifaq defender Jack Hendry.

Lining up in the centre of Scotland's back three, Hendry was one of many Scottish stars who struggled to deal with Germany's vibrant attack.

In truth, his task was significantly hampered by team-mate Ryan Porteous being sent off for a dangerous lunge on Ilkay Gundogan, but the Watford defender's dismissal came when his side were already 2-0 down.

Scotland's defeat severely dampened the mood around Steve Clarke's side, although if they can bounce back against Switzerland on Wednesday, the Tartan Army could still qualify. 

Aymeric Laporte

Club: Al-Nassr

Nation: Spain

Aymeric Laporte got off to a slow start at Euro 2024 after he remained an unused substitute for Spain's impressive 3-0 win over Croatia on Saturday.

However, the Al-Nassr star was always unlikely to feature given he has recently been absent from team training due to muscular complaints.

In his place, Nacho and Robin Le Normand successfully shackled Zlatko Dalic's side, although Laporte has returned to full training ahead of Thursday's clash with Italy and will hope to win his place back as soon as possible.

Marcelo Brozovic

Club: Al-Nassr 

Nation: Croatia

Croatia boss Dalic had hailed his midfield trio of Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic as the best in the world back at the 2022 World Cup, but it didn't look like that against Spain. 

Between them, they have accumulated a combined 375 international caps, although their collective age of 99 felt more pertinent on Saturday.

There is no doubting their class and record at major tournaments, but it was a creaky performance from Brozovic and his team-mates against their younger and smarter opponents.

The heavy defeat puts Croatia on the back foot if they want to reach the knockout stages.

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Club: Al-Hilal 

Nation: Serbia 

When his season goal tally was only beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo, it's hard to argue that Aleksandar Mitrovic had anything other than a stunning year in Saudi Arabia.

With 39 goals in 42 games for Al-Hilal, coupled with a record of 58 strikes in 91 Serbia caps heading into Euro 2024, the former Fulham star was a daunting prospect for England's injury-hit defence on Sunday.

However, Mitrovic was a shadow of his usual self against the Three Lions as he struggled to get involved in the game.

He was eventually replaced by Luka Jovic in the 61st minute despite being named as captain for the clash, which was systematic of his disappointing display. 

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic 

Club: Al-Hilal 

Nation: Serbia

A fellow title winner at Al-Hilal, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was another star who posed a significant danger to England. 

However, he struggled during the first half in what was a passive opening to the game from Serbia.

Milinkovic-Savic did grow into the clash as it went on, but ultimately wasn't able to break down a stubborn, if uninspiring England side.

He will be crucial if Serbia are to progress and is likely to have a more significant role against Slovenia and Denmark.

Georginio Wijnaldum 

Club: Al-Ettifaq 

Nation: The Netherlands

Georginio Wijnaldum is no longer the all-action, fleet-footed midfielder who lit up games at Liverpool for five years.

The Al-Ettifaq star still has quality, but looked very much like a 33-year-old during his 28 minute cameo for the Netherlands against Poland on Sunday.

Wijnaldum made no tackles, dribbles or clearances, while he completed just four of his six passes, which led to significant criticism back in his homeland.

Yannick Carrasco 

Club: Al-Shabab 

Nation: Belgium

Despite Belgium star Yannick Carrasco's move to Al-Shabab last summer, his chances of representing his nation were not compromised.

He even started for the Red Devils against Slovakia in an unfamiliar left back role amid a defensive injury crisis, but the winger enduring a frustrating afternoon like many of his team-mates.

Carrasco did his best to trouble the Slovakian defence but was stymied before being subbed in the 84th minute as his side went down 1-0.

Andrei Burca 

Club: Al-Okhdood

Nation: Romania

Despite topping a qualifying group ahead of Switzerland and Israel, not much was expected of Romania heading into Euro 2024.

However, they quickly made sure people would sit up and take notice with a stunning 3-0 victory over Ukraine in their opening game of the tournament.

This came despite Edward Iordanescu's side having just 29 per cent possession and an xG of 1.22.

Crucial to that was their defence, and Andrei Burca's centre back partnership with Tottenham star Radu Dragusin looked strong, with this likely to be a key factor if Romania do reach the knockout stages of a Euros for just the second time in their history.

Nicolae Stanciu 

Club: Damac FC

Nation: Romania

Another Romanian star to put themselves into the spotlight was Nicolae Stanciu.

The Damac midfielder gave his nation the lead with a goal of the tournament contender after 29 minutes against Ukraine.

It came at a time when Ukraine were putting Romania under significant pressure and helped turn the tide of the game.

Merih Demiral

Club: Al-Ahli

Nation: Turkey

In what was arguably the game of the tournament so far, Merih Demiral played a peripheral, if important role in Turkey's 3-1 victory over Georgia on Tuesday.

The former Juventus and Atalanta defender only featured 20 times in the league for Al-Ahli last season, but helped his nation deal with some late Georgian pressure after being introduced as a substitute after 79 minutes.

Willy Sagnol's side struck the crossbar and post during a frantic finale, before Kerem Akturkoglu broke clear at the death to add gloss to the scoreline. 

Solomon Kvirkvelia

Club: Al-Okhdood

Nation: Georgia

Although it was a tough defeat to take for Georgia, they should still take plenty of positives from an impressive display in their first ever European Championship game.

Solomon Kvirkvelia had the unenviable task of trying to shackle Turkish wonderkids Arda Guler and Kenan Yldiz at right back, with the Al-Okhdood defender booked midway through the second half.

It was a tough opening for Kvirkvelia, but he will stake take great pride in his side's performance and hope they can create some more memories against Portugal and the Czech Republic.

Ruben Neves

Club: Al-Hilal

Nation: Portugal 

Former Premier League star Ruben Neves was another player to enjoy a quiet start to the Euros.

Neves, who had a formidable midfield partnership with Milinkovic-Savic during Al-Hilal's title-winning season, was left on the bench throughout Portugal's 2-1 victory against Czechia on Tuesday.

However, Portugal's fluid midfield of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Vitinha failed to click and given Neves has racked up 18 caps over the past two years, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the former Wolves talisman get back in the team.