To the end, Al-Hilal’s fans remain defiant, despite what will be seen as a hugely disappointing season.
After losing 1-0 to the now reigning champions on Friday, Damac defender Farouk Chafai noted that despite playing at home in the far southwest of the country, there were a lot of Al-Hilal fans in the stadium.
“Al-Hilal have a lot of history and popularity,” said the Algerian, “with fans all over the country.”
It was a fine, if unspectacular, win for the visitors against a committed opponent. It would be understandable if the Blues were, as they say in England, “on the beach” as their season draws to a close.
The Asian Champions League was lost in the final to the Urawa Reds in May, which means that the King’s Cup is the only silverware this season, one that promised so much. The only prize left on offer – a place in the next Champions League is already sorted – is taking third place from Al-Shabab.
The league title is gone; it is mathematically impossible for them to defend their championship. Yet they fought back earlier in the week from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Al-Ittihad and put a dent in their rivals’ chances, and now they have defeated Damac.
For a team with nothing to play for, Al-Hilal are still playing hard. As Chafai mentioned, this is history, the history of the most successful club in Saudi Arabia and Asia. With so many fans around the country, Al-Hilal are not a club that can take their feet off the gas, and this is one reason why they are a winning machine. Al-Hilal always bounce back.
Especially now. The league title has long gone with Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr, their two biggest rivals, fighting it out. That is going to hurt, though the top two have benefitted from the fact that they have not, like Al-Hilal, been burdened by the demands of international competitions such as the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Even without the King’s Cup, Al-Hilal had to play 14 more games against tough international opposition. This took its toll in terms of injuries and fatigue.
Still, Al-Ittihad have been almost Hilal-like in their relentlessness this year. Nuno Santo has brought an extra edge to an already talented team, with winning mentality under the Portuguese coach reminiscent of their great rivals from Riyadh.
Meanwhile, Al-Nassr have Cristiano Ronaldo and the eyes of the world upon them. The spotlight is not shining on Al-Hilal, and this is an unusual position that they will not enjoy.
Expect a big summer shake-up at Al-Hilal. They have been planning for this for a long time. This is due to a combination of missing out on the big prizes but more because they have been unable to sign a player for the past two transfer windows. A need for new blood has been growing.
Moussa Marega scored the winning goal against Damac, but the Malian is likely to be heading back to Europe and most of the other foreigners will follow him out of Riyadh. Jang Hyun-soo was ready to head back to South Korea a year ago but was persuaded by the club as they were unable to sign replacements. Even star striker Odion Ighalo may well be on his way.
Over the past two transfer windows, Al-Hilal have sat back and watched their rivals improve their squads. They would have loved to have signed Ronaldo but had to watch the five-time Ballon d’Or winner end up elsewhere in Riyadh. Now Al-Hilal are going to be bringing in some serious foreign talent and, whether Lionel Messi ends up at the club or not, the links with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner show Al-Hilal’s ambitions.
They are not just looking to rebuild a team that needs some new blood, nor just looking to bring in world-class players, but they are also looking to make a statement to the other big teams in Saudi Arabia and rivals across Asia.
And then there is the coach. Ramon Diaz has already left to return to Argentina – and it is another testament to the professionalism of the club that even without a coach and without anything to play for, they are still winning tough games – and he is not coming back.
Diaz will never be forgotten for arriving in February 2022 with the team 16 points behind Al-Ittihad and then, somehow, delivering the title. But now Al-Hilal are on the hunt for a new boss and it is going to be a big name. This is just the way it is. Other teams have thrown down the challenge to Al-Hilal and the 18-time champions are going to move up to the next level.
Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad should enjoy the remaining weeks of the season as they fight it out for the title because next season, Al-Hilal are going to be back in the mix.
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