Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney has revealed his stance with regards to an exit from competing with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. The England international has been in Saudi Arabia for two of seasons, having moved there in the summer of 2024.
Toney spoke with ESPN about his future plans, touching on a possible return to the English Premier League after his sojourn in Saudi Arabia. The striker revealed that he has not closed the door to a return to England and hopes to achieve major success in Saudi Arabia before returning.
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“I never say never. I’ve goals I want to achieve here first, but in football, in life, you never know what’s around the corner. You just take it day-by-day, step-by-step. Hopefully I can achieve something big here first and who knows what the next step is?”, he said.
Ivan Toney has impressed since joining Al-Ahli and is in contention for a place in the England squad for the World Cup later this year. The 29-year-old has scored 20 goals in the Saudi Pro League, two more than Cristiano Ronaldo has managed, to lead the goalscoring charts in the oil-rich nation.
Toney played a key role as Al-Ahli won the AFC Champions League in 2025, scoring in the semi-final win over rivals Al-Hilal. Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates fell at the same stage before going on to lose the Saudi Super Cup final to Al-Ahli last summer.
Ivan Toney last played for Brentford before heading to Saudi Arabia, earning cult hero status with the Premier League side. He was with the England squad that finished second behind Spain in Euro 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Ivan Toney on target as Golden Boot race heats up
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ivan Toney were on the scoresheet for their respective teams as they remain in the hunt for the Saudi Pro League’s Golden Boot. The pair of former Premier league stars continue to lead the way in the race for the highest goal scorer’s award.
Al-Nassr star Ronaldo sat out games against Al-Riyadh and Al-Ittihad in protest before returning against Al-Fateh. The 41-year-old found the back of the net in his first game back, taking his tally for the season to 18 goals in 19 appearances and moving level with Julian Quinones for goals scored.
Toney scored one and assisted another for Al-Ahli as they claimed a 5-2 win over Al-Shabab, taking his league tally to 20 goals for his side. The Englishman will be looking to stop Ronaldo from claiming a third straight Golden Boot in the Saudi Pro League.
Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen
