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Al Hilal SFC

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Al Hilal
Nickname(s)Al-Za'eem / الزعيم (The Boss)
Blue Waves
Blue Power / اtheir best player is Musaed Ghanim Alzaid who is a Kuwaiti baller with 20 World Cup and 10 ballon dor and a former Real Madrid Club player
Founded16 October 1957; 67 years ago (1957-10-16) (as Olympic Club)
GroundKingdom Arena
Capacity30,000
OwnerPublic Investment Fund (75%)
Al Hilal Non-Profit Foundation (25%)[1]
PresidentFahad bin Nafel
ManagerJorge Jesus
LeagueSaudi Pro League
2023–24Pro League, 1st of 18 (champions)
Websitealhilal.com
Current season
Al Hilal active departments

Football
(men's)
Football
(women's)
Basketball
(men's)

Al Hilal Saudi Football Club (Arabic: نادي الهلال السعودي), simply known as Al Hilal is a professional multi-sports club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their football team competes in the Saudi Pro League. In Arabic, Al Hilal means "the crescent moon". Founded on 16 October 1957, Al Hilal are one of three teams to have participated in all seasons of the Saudi Pro League since its establishment in 1976. They are the most decorated club in Asia, winning 70 official trophies.[2]

In domestic competitions, Al Hilal have won a record 19 league titles, a record 13 Crown Prince Cup titles, a record seven Saudi Federation Cup titles, eleven King Cup titles, a record five Super Cup titles, as well as the Saudi Founder's Cup. Continentally, Al Hilal have won a record eight Asian Football Confederation trophies — the AFC Champions League in 1991, 2000, 2019 and 2021, the Asian Cup Winners Cup in 1997 and 2002, and the Asian Super Cup in 1997, 2000.

Internationally, Al Hilal made multiple appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup, They were runners-ups in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, having become the first Asian club from the non-host nation to reach the FIFA Club World Cup final. In September 2009, Al Hilal was awarded Best Asian Club of the 20th Century by the IFFHS.[3]

History

[edit]
Rivellino and Néjib Limam in 1979

The idea of establishing the club began when the ranks of the Youth Club witnessed in 1957 a serious division among its leaders, which prompted Mr. Abdul Rahman bin Saeed to resign from the presidency of the Youth Club in that year, and many left with him, including a number of prominent players.

The opportunity was ripe for the establishment of a new club at the first-class level to serve Saudi sports, and this was already done when a new club was established on 15 October 1957 in Riyadh. The club's name lasted for only one year before it was changed to its current name on 3 December 1958 by King Saud. He changed the name after he attended a tournament that was contested between the Olympic Club, Al Nassr, Al Riyadh and Al-Kawkab clubs. As soon as the club's establishment, Al-Hilal enjoyed not only grassroots support but also royal attention.[4]

After spending their formative years building a squad, the club made their first mark by lifting the King's Cup trophy in 1961. Al-Hilal won the King's Cup again in 1964, with a penalty shootout victory over two-time Asian champions Al Ittihad. The club also won the Crown Prince Cup in 1963–64.

The club were the inaugural winners when the Saudi Premier League came into existence in the 1976–77 season. Al Hilal also won the league title in 1978–79.

With the success, a number of players and coaches from outside Saudi Arabia joined the club in the 1970s, including Brazilian legends Mario Zagallo and Rivellino.

Sustained success (1980–1990)

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After the establishment of the Saudi Premier League in the late 70's and with Al Hilal winning the competition twice including the inaugural edition. Ampaiai in the eighties brought about a new dawn of success to the riyadh giants, with group of talented homegrown players such as the charismatic figurehead defender Saleh Al-Nu'eimeh who captained both Al Hilal and the Saudi National Football Team, together with the promotion of the extremely gifted player maker Yousuf Al-Thunayan and the young and prolific forward Sami Al-Jaber. The club went on to win four league titles as well as four kings cup titles in ten years, two of those being season double's. Al Hilal were the runners-up in the Asian club Championship twice. They were second after the round-robin in the final round in 1986. They reached the final the following year in 1987, but Yomiuri were crowned the champion automatically as Al Hilal were unable to field a team for the final due to nine of the starting players being chosen for the Saudi team's preparation camp that clashed with the date fixed for the first leg.

Continental dominance (1991–2002)

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The 1990s marked a shift in the dominant teams challenging for the title, such as the emergence of Al Shabab as a new contender and force in the league. As well as the resurgence of bitter rivals Al Nassr and Al Ittihad made the league become contested and shared between the four, Al Hilal achieved three titles during this period (1995–96, 1997–98, 2001–02). The club continued to churn out talent from its academy with players such as Nawaf Al-Temyat, Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, Abdallah Al-Jamaan, Ahmad Al-Dokhi as well as Zambian defender Elijah Litana. Al Hilal's continental spoil's during this period defined the clubs identity, decadence and standing in the Asian continent for years to come. The first of which came in 1991 when the club won their first Asian title, the Asian Club Championship, beating Iranian club Esteghlal in penalties in the final. In 1997 the Asian Cup Winners Cup and Asian super cup were also obtained. The club won the Asian Club Championship again in 1999–2000, when they scored an equaliser in the 89th minute and won the match against Japanese club Júbilo Iwata in the extra-time, with the final being one of the most exciting and competitive in the competition's history; A super cup was also achieved in the same year. Finally the last of the Asian titles to be secured in this era was the 2002 Cup Winners Cup.[5]

League duopoly (2003–2011)

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At the turn of the century the historic rivalry between Al Hilal and Al Ittihad had reached levels never seen before in Saudi football. Historically, since their first meeting, Al Hilal/Al Ittihad matches have always been aggressive and passion filled spectacles that drew huge crowds due to both teams being from the two major Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jeddah. Each team represented different cities, backgrounds and values. Al Hilal is based in Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia, in addition to having traditional Najdi values the club is most commonly supported by the upper and middle class and also enjoyed royal attention. While on the other hand, Al-Ittihad is based in the port city of Jeddah and is commonly supported by the lower and middle class as well as non-Saudi natives giving it the nickname "the people's club". Both teams dominated this era of Saudi football history. Al Hilal won the title/s in (2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11). Al Ittihad's golden generation in this period of time equaled Al Hilal's two AFC Champions League titles, as well as winning the league title/s in (2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2008–09). This resulted in both teams exchanging winner and runner-up positions almost every season in the league for ten years with the exception of two seasons.

The pinnacle moment of the era was in the 2007–08 season when Al Ittihad was leading the table the whole season with Al Hilal always right behind in second, the final match day pitted both teams against each other in the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah with Al-Ittihad needing a draw at the minimum to clinch the league title at home. Al Ittihad were the clear favourites due to their much superior quality and home advantage. The match began with Al Ittihad leading in possession and attacking opportunities but to no avail. In the 49th minute Ahmed Al-Fraidi crossed the ball from the edge of the box, to which Yasser Al-Qahtani skimmed with a header to the right bottom corner of the goal giving Al Hilal a 1–0 lead four minutes after half time. Al-Ittihad frantically tried to equalise with an abundance of shots but Mohamed Al-Deayea goalkeeping heroics the whole match denied them the goal they so desperately needed, and even more so after Al Qahtani's goal. The referee finally blew the whistle and Al Hilal were crowned the league champions in Jeddah, and under whose management of Cosmin Olăroiu was coupled with the Crown Prince Cup finishing the season with a double. The league is commonly known and remembered with the nickname (Arabic: شعره ياسر) which roughly translates to "Yasser's hair" due to the winning goal being scored when the ball skimmed by Yasser's header veering the ball towards the goal. What made the occasion even more special is that the opposite outcome happened the previous season when Al Ittihad clinched the league title in the last minutes.

Before the beginning of the 2009–10 season Eric Gerets was hired as the new Al Hilal manager. Under his management Al Hilal tactically adopted a very attacking style, combining an already talented local group of players with star foreign players such as the versatile South Korean right back Lee Young-pyo, the powerful and dominant defensive midfielder Mirel Rădoi, the speedy Swedish winger Christian Wilhelmsson and the technically gifted Brazilian attacking midfielder Thiago Neves. This blend of local and foreign talent guided by a tactically astute manager dominated the league and were crowned champions with three games to spare, a crown prince cup was also won in the same season. In the following 2010–11 season Al Hilal continued to dominate domestically and continentally until their semi-final exit from the 2010 AFC Champions League, shortly following their exit Eric Gerets left to become the new head coach of the Morocco national football team. After Gerets's departure Gabriel Calderon took over as head coach of Al Hilal and finished the updated 14 team league as undefeated champion with 19 wins and 7 draws, becoming the second team to achieve this feat after Al Ettifaq. The season also finished with a double as the Crown Prince Cup was defended.

Struggle at the continental stage (2012–2018)

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After their back-to-back league titles and generally consistent success in the domestic front, Al Hilal always seemed to come up short in their continental pursuit since their last triumph in the 1999-2000 campaign. Adding to an already aging local core and departing key players, Al Hilal was in a transition period to rebuild the team that was able to challenge domestically and in the Champions league. Al Hilal reached the final of AFC Champions League in 2014, 14 years after their last appearance in the final. This time they faced Western Sydney Wanderers. The Australian club won 1–0 on aggregate with some very questionable refereeing decisions by Yuichi Nishimura (what the fans claim).[6] During this period of time Al Hilal was not able to win the league title for five seasons beginning from the 2011–12 to the 2015–16 season, finishing runner up in three of those seasons, and was only able to achieve five cup titles: Crown Prince cup (2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16), King cup (2015) and a Super cup (2015) Against arch rivals Al-Nasser held at Loftus Road Stadium, in London.

At the start of the 2016–17 season a string of bad results caused Gustavo Matosas to be sacked and replaced by Ramón Díaz. Diaz's reorganised the tactical shape and style of play in which the team was engaging with as well as the conditioning his players to quickly grasp his philosophy. Taking advantage of the fact that throughout the generations Al Hilal's success largely came from academy players as well as key signings, which the squad already possessed but the group was not in sync or able to reach their true potential. Players such as goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf was brought back From Al-Ahli because of his distribution abilities, right and left backs Yasser Al-Shahrani and Mohammed Al-Breik were good in chance creation and also in attacking output. Salem Al-Dawsari was talented but unpolished player when he was promoted to the first team in 2011, but has matured to become a key player. These player became the spine of the team and an integral part of Al Hilal squad for years to come. The managerial replacement radically changed the team's performance by playing possession-based attacking football which the aforementioned players turned out to be very adept to. Al Hilal finished the season as champions of the league and King cup with the former being achieved with record points in a season.

The following season continued in the same rhythm with Al Hilal leading in the domestic league and reaching the 2017 AFC Champions League Final. But they ultimately lost to the Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds 1–2 in aggregate after Carlos Eduardo suffered an ACL tear in the first minutes of the first leg, and Omar Kharbin suffered an injury in the second leg. The team slumped mentally after the defeat and began a series of subpar performances which lead to their exit from the next edition's group stage which was their first time leaving the group stage since 2010. Ramón Díaz was sacked on 21 February 2018 and he was replaced Juan Brown as caretaker until the end of the season, he managed to salvage the season by winning Al Hilal their 15th domestic league title.

Return to continental dominance and worldwide appearances (2019–present)

[edit]
Al Hilal starting XI in 2019

The 2018–19 season saw drastic changes to the league with an increase in the number of clubs from 14 to 16, as well as the increase of foreign players to 8. This season saw the arrival of Bafetimbi Gomis, Andre Carrillo and Sebastian Giovinco managed by Jorge Jesus. The season started very well winning the first nine matches of the league, but when a new president was appointed Jorge Jesus was sacked on 30 January with no specified reason even though he had won 20 matches, was leading the league by 9 points and had won the 2018 Super Cup. Things started to go downhill from there, by the end of the season Al Hilal ended up as runner-up in the league by one point to Al-Nassr and runner-up in the 2018–19 Arab Club Champions Cup, lost out to Al-Taawoun in the semi-final of the 2019 King Cup. Mohammed bin Faisal resigned as president on the 1st of May before the season ended.

Fahad bin Nafil was elected president for a four-year term. Răzvan Lucescu was appointed as the new manager, several players that were deemed unneeded were released. South Korean defender Jang Hyun-soo was signed alongside Colombian international Gustavo Cuéllar. The 2019–2020 season started well and Al Hilal was leading the table almost the whole season with Al Nassr being the only other club in the title race with Al Hilal, nearing final rounds of the season Al Hilal thrashed Al Nassr 4–1 to end their title hopes as we'll finishing the season as champions and setting a new points record of 72. During the 2019 Champions League campaign Al Hilal produced a dominating and exciting performance in the competition to reach the final midway through the season. The first Champions league match of the season was against Al Ahli in the round of 16 Al Hilal won 4–1 away With Gomis scoring a hattrick, and lost 0–1 at home, Al Hilal qualified to the next stage with an aggregate score of 4–2. The quarter final matched Al Hilal against local rivals Al-Ittihad, the first match ended in a 0–0 stalemate away while the second match Al Hilal won 3–1 at home with memorable performances from Salem, Carrillo and Giovinco, Al Hilal qualified to the semi-final with an aggregate score of 3–1. In the semi-final Al Hilal was against their toughest opponent in the competition Al Sadd, in the away match Al Hilal won 4–1 in Doha while the opposing team player Abdulkarim Hassan was sent off. In the return leg at home in Riyadh, Al Sadd was able to turn around the score by scoring four goals to two, and in the last minute of the game they were awarded a free kick at the edge of the box and needed to score one more goal to go through to the final, but Abdullah Al-Mayouf saved the ball and the original time finished with Al Hilal winning 6–5 on aggregate, Al Hilal qualified to their third final in 5 years. After trying and failing to win on two previous finals in 2014 and 2017. They played against the Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds, to whom they lost to in the final two years before. They successfully took a revenge and won 3–0 on aggregate 1–0 at home and 2–0 away, ending a nineteen-year wait for the Asian crown, Bafetimbi Gomis was also the tournaments top scorer and MVP. With both the 2019–20 Saudi Professional League as well as the 2019 AFC Champions League titles secured Al Hilal had one more title to win to wrap up the treble. Al Hilal reached the 2019–20 King Cup final to face Al Nassr who had not won the cup since 1990, Al Hilal won by 2–1 to complete the historic Treble.

Al Hilal facing against Chelsea on 9 February 2022 in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup

In the 2021 AFC Champions league, Al Hilal had barely managed to qualify to the knockout stages of the competition. In the round of 16 They faced Iranian team Esteghlal in Dubai and won the match 2–0, in the quarter finals they faced another Iranian team Persepolis whom they defeated 3–0 to qualify to the next stage. In the semi-final stage Al Hilal came up against their perennial rivals Al Nassr which was dubbed as the match of the century due to the long-standing animosity these historic rivals had for each other. This was the first time both teams would face each other in this competition, Further more Al Nassr had never won the AFC Champions league before and Al Hilal needed one more title to be the AFC Champions league outright record title holders. The stakes of the game were so high that the tension was felt in the city of Riyadh weeks before the game. The game finished with Al Hilal winning 2–1 against Al Nassr to reach the final in addition to bragging rights for many years to come. Al Hilal reached the final in 2021 to face South Korean club Pohang Steelers, both clubs had held a record of three AFC Champions League titles. Al Hilal came up on top to score the first goal 16 seconds after the match began. In the end a 2–0 win secured the fourth Asian champions league title, and Al Hilal became the AFC Champions League unequivocal record title holders.

As the champions of the AFC Champions League, Al Hilal qualified for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in the UAE, Al Hilal in their first match faced hosts Al Jazira and managed to win 6–1. Al Hilal later faced UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea but lost 1–0, Al Hilal ended up in the 4th position overall in the tournament.

Al Hilal starting XI to face Chelsea on 9 February 2022

In September 2022, Al Hilal offered Cristiano Ronaldo a two-year contract worth €242 million. However, Ronaldo rejected the proposal,[7] calling it "obscene".[8][9] The reports of the offer first surfaced in July 2022, but the Saudi club name was not known.[10] The President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al Misehal said he would like to see Ronaldo play in Saudi, but that it "won't happen before January unfortunately".[8][9] However, he signed up for rivals Al Nassr instead on 1 January 2023.

In February 2023, Al Hilal played in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup and reached the final after victories against Wydad Casablanca (2021–22 CAF Champions League Champions) and beaten Flamengo the (2022 Copa Libertadores Champions) In the semi-Finals.[11][12] In the final, Al Hilal faced Europe Giants Real Madrid (Champions of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League) and lost 5–3 to Real Madrid, in which the club become the runners up in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup.[13]

World renowned footballer Neymar playing for Al Hilal in 2023

In the 2022 AFC Champions League campaign, Al Hilal topped Group A to advance to the Round of 16. The Asian Football Confederation decided to change the competition schedule from an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule to an autumn-to-spring schedule from next season onwards, despite the 2022 season actually being held from April 2022 to May 2023. Due to this decision Al Hilal had 9-month hiatus from the end of the group stage to the first knockout game, in February 2023 Al Hilal faced Emarati Shabab Al Ahli in the round of 16 whom they defeated 3–1. Three days later in the quarter finals Al Hilal faced Iran's Foolad in a highly physical match that ended in a 1–0 win with Marega scoring a goal in 87th minute. After advancing to the semi-final stage Al Hilal was pitted against Qatari Al Duhail, some pundits claimed before the game was played that Al-Duhail would easily reach the final in particular Nashat Akram who claimed that the match was over before it started and that Al-Duhail already booked their place in the final. On the day of the game the match started with Al Hilal scoring four goals in the first 30 minutes and adding a fifth before the first half was over. In the second half Al Hilal capped off the game with two more goals with Odion Ighalo scoring a super hat-trick in a 7–0 decimating win to seal the place in the 2022 AFC Champions League Final Against Urawa Red Diamonds, however, Al Hilal lost and became the runner-ups.

On 15 August 2023, Al Hilal signed world renowned player Neymar for a record breaking Saudi Pro League transfer fee of 90 million euros plus add-ons.[14] Al Hilal also went on to sign more European league players, including Kalidou Koulibaly, Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Malcom, Yassine Bounou and Aleksandar Mitrović. Later throughout the season, Neymar suffered an ACL injury thus seeing the club signing Renan Lodi under the foreign quota slot. On 11 April 2024, Al Hilal won the 2023 Saudi Super Cup.

Crest

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In 2022, Al Hilal Football Club introduced a major redesign of their logo, signaling a shift from their previous emblem to a more modern and simplified design. The old crest was characterized by a detailed and intricate 3D effect, featuring a gradient ball encased within a crescent moon. This emblem also included the full text of the club's name, "Al Hilal," and the year of its founding, adding layers of historical context and a classic aesthetic to the crest.

The previous design's rich detailing and the inclusion of the founding year offered a sense of tradition and heritage, but the new logo adopts a more streamlined and contemporary approach. The redesigned logo is limited to a blue and white color scheme, which helps in creating a cleaner and more distinctive visual identity.

Central to the new design are three vertical blue stripes that run parallel to each other. These stripes are interspersed with crescent moons, which are a nod to the club's historical symbol. The most striking feature of the new logo is the use of negative space between the stripes. This clever design choice creates a white 'H,' representing 'Hilal,' the Arabic word for 'crescent' and the name of the club. Additionally, the negative space also forms a subtle 'S,' which stands for 'Saudi,' linking the emblem to the country of the club's origin.

This modernized logo not only simplifies the club's branding but also enhances its visual impact, making it more recognizable and aligned with current design trends. The focus on minimalism and the strategic use of color and space ensure that the new logo is both striking and versatile, suitable for various applications from digital media to merchandise.[15]

Mascot

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The club mascot is a shark. A blue whale known for eating up all the trophies.[16]

"The merging of the two letters in both languages in the logo is to symbolize the form of a grand and solid shield suitable for all sports, and bearing the values and principals of Al-Hilal", the Al-Hilal club said officially in August 2022.[17]

Grounds

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Al Hilal currently plays their home games at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, stadium that was constructed in 1987 with a capacity of 67,000 supporters and occasionally home games are taking place in Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, one of oldest football grounds in Saudi Arabia which was built in 1969. In 2017, Al Hilal signed an agreement with King Saud University in Riyadh to use the university's stadium for 3 seasons, from 2017–18 until the end of the 2019–20. In February 2022 it was announced that both Al Hilal and Al Nassr would become the tenants of the "Qiddiya's planned cliff-top 40,000+ seat stadium, once complete, will eventually become the new venue for home games for both teams and the full range of sporting facilities being developed will be made available for both clubs".[18]

Rivalries

[edit]
Main articles: Riyadh derby and Saudi El Clasico

Al Hilal has a long-standing rivalry with Al-Ittihad. From the start of national competition the clubs were seen as representatives of the two biggest cities in Saudi Arabia: Riyadh and Jeddah. While Al Hilal have won four Asian Club Championship in years 1991, 1999–2000, 2019 and 2021, Al-Ittihad has won AFC Champions League two times in a row, in 2004 and 2005. Al Hilal won the Saudi El Clasico 62 times, Al-Ittihad won it 50 times, and two sides have drawn 35 times. As of 2023, the biggest win was when Al Hilal defeated Al Ittihad 5–0 in 2009–10.[19]

Another rivalry is with their neighbors Al Nassr, which is called Riyadh's Derby. They have met 148 times, Al Hilal has won 59 times, lost 48 times, and 41 games have ended in a draw.[20] The biggest win is for Al Hilal when they defeated Al Nassr 5–1 in Saudi Professional League 2016–2017. The rivalry with Al Nassr is more intense between them than the rivalry with Al Ittihad. As an example, when Al Hilal reached the 2014 AFC Champions League Final, in 2nd leg Al Nassr fans awaited Western Sydney Wanderers arrival at the airport to spur them on against Al Hilal and tried to sabotage Al Hilal's ticket plan.[21]

Al Hilal's most intense matches in AFC Champions league are against; Al Ain from UAE, Al Sadd of Qatar in GCC countries and against Iranian teams, Persepolis and Esteghlal, and from east of Asia the most successful contenders Urawa Red Diamonds and Pohang Steelers.

Finance and sponsorship

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Sponsorship

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Period Kit manufacturer Kit main sponsor
2004–2006 Adidas None
2006–2007 STC
2007–2013 Mobily
2013–2017 Nike
2017–2019 Kingdom Holdings
2019–2022 Mouj Emaar
2022–2023 Jahez / Blu Store
2023–present Puma Savvy Games Group [note 1]

Television match broadcasting rights

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Al Hilal receives a certain amount from the Saudi Arabia Football Federation as the federation sells the complete matches' right in one package and all the clubs in the Saudi Professional League share the revenue equally. The Saudi league broadcasting rights currently were sold to Saudi Broadcasting Authority's SBC Channel, as well as Shahid streaming service. Also SSC sports (Saudi sports company) has broadcasting rights

Other income sources

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The club's president and other board members secure any extra income required to run the club from merchandising of the club's kit and other products as well as establishing an investment company owned by the club to increase the club's revenue. Sponsorships have been instrumental to the club's finances due to the numerous lucrative deals signed by the club, as the club's huge popularity and appeal locally, regionally and continentally generates a huge number of supporters and admirers, especially on social media; the club has over 15m followers across all social media accounts.

Club facilities

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In 2009, the club opened a new camp in Riyadh. It contains 25 rooms, meeting rooms, smart room for lectures, library, eating room, living rooms, a big salon and a medical clinic. It also has entertainment corners for video games, table tennis, billiards, table football and many others. There are two training fields for the senior team.

Players

[edit]
As of 2 September 2024[22]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF Senegal SEN Kalidou Koulibaly
4 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Khalifah Al-Dawsari
5 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Ali Al-Bulaihi
6 DF Brazil BRA Renan Lodi
7 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Khalid Al-Ghannam (on loan from Al-Ettifaq)
8 MF Portugal POR Rúben Neves
9 FW Serbia SRB Aleksandar Mitrović
11 FW Brazil BRA Marcos Leonardo
10 FW Brazil BRA Neymar
12 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Yasser Al-Shahrani
15 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Qahtani
16 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Nasser Al-Dawsari
17 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Rubaie
20 DF Portugal POR João Cancelo
21 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Owais
22 MF Serbia SRB Sergej Milinković-Savić
24 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Moteb Al-Harbi
No. Pos. Nation Player
28 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohamed Kanno
29 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Salem Al-Dawsari (captain)
33 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Muhaysh U19
35 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulsalam Barnawi U19
36 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Saud Haroun U19
37 GK Morocco MAR Yassine Bounou
38 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Turki Al-Ghumayl U19
39 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulaziz Al-Hadhood U19
50 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulilah Al-Ghamdi U19
55 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Ali Al-Mahdawi U19
62 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Talal Al-Otaibi U19
77 MF Brazil BRA Malcom
87 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Hassan Al-Tambakti
88 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Hamad Al-Yami
99 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Abdullah Al-Hamdan

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Musab Al-Juwayr (on loan to Al-Shabab)
26 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulellah Al-Malki (on loan to Al-Ettifaq)
40 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Ahmad Abu Rasen (on loan to Neom)
44 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Suhayb Al-Zaid (on loan to Al-Fateh)
No. Pos. Nation Player
49 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Abdullah Radif (on loan to Al-Ettifaq)
58 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Barnawi (on loan to Al-Orobah)
— MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdullah Al-Zaid (on loan to Neom)
— MF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Zaid (on loan to Al-Bukiryah)

Personnel

[edit]

Coaching staff

[edit]
See also: List of Al Hilal SFC managers
Position Name
Manager Portugal Jorge Jesus
Assistant manager Portugal João de Deus
Portugal Tiago Oliveira
Serbia Nikola Djurovic
Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Shalhoub
Goalkeeping coach Portugal Vítor Pereira
Serbia Branko Katic
Fitness coach Portugal Ricardo Gomes da Silva
Technical coach Portugal Gil Henriques
Coordination coach Portugal Nuno Romano
Video analyst Portugal Rodrigo Araújo
Match analyst Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz Al-Dawsari
B team coach Portugal Rodolfo Miguens
Director of football Saudi Arabia Saud Kariri

Management

[edit]
President Fahad Nafil Al-Otaibi
Vice President Suliman alhatlan
Board Member Abdulmajeed Alhagbani
Chief Executive Officer Esteve Calzada
Secretary General Sami Abu Khudair
Treasurer Thamer Al-Tassan
Director of Fans Supplies Rashid Al-Anzan
Director of Legal Affairs Thamer Al-Jasser
Director of Facilities Development and Maintenance Badr Al-Mayouf
Director of Other Sports Ibraheem Al-Youssef
Director of Youth Football Abdullateef Al-Hosainy
Director of Investments Area Abdullah Abdul-Jabbar

This is a list of Al Hilal SFC presidents and chairmen from their foundation in 1957.[23]

Name From To Championships (official)
Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Saeed 1957 1965 3
Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Al-Hamdan 1965 1966 ×
Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Saeed 1966 1970 ×
Saudi Arabia Faisal Al-Shehail 1970 1972 ×
Saudi Arabia Abdullah Nasser 1972 1976 ×
Saudi Arabia Hazloul bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 1976 1978 1
Saudi Arabia Abdullah Nasser 1978 1982 2
Saudi Arabia Hazloul bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 1982 1983 1
Saudi Arabia Abdullah Saad 1983 1990 9
Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Saeed 1990 1992 1
Saudi Arabia Mohammad Mufti 1992 1993 1
Saudi Arabia Abdullah Saeed 1993 1994 ×
Saudi Arabia Khalid Mohammad 1994 1996 4
Saudi Arabia Bandar Mohammad 1997 2000 9
Saudi Arabia Saud Turki 2000 2003 6
Saudi Arabia Abdullah Musa'ad 2003 2004 1
Saudi Arabia Mohammad Faisal 2004 2008 7
Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Musa'ad 2008 2015 7
Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Homaidani (caretaker) 2015 2015 1
Saudi Arabia Nawaf Saad 2015 2018 4
Saudi Arabia Sami Al-Jaber 2018 2018 1
Saudi Arabia Mohammad Faisal 2018 2019 ×
Saudi Arabia Abdullah Al-Jarbou (caretaker) 2019 2019 ×
Saudi Arabia Fahad Nafil Al-Otaibi 2019 Present 12

Honours

[edit]
Al Hilal SFC honours
Type Competition Titles Seasons Runner-Up
Domestic Pro League 19 1976–77, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982-83, 1986-87, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2018–19
King Cup 11 1961, 1964, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1989, 2015, 2017, 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24 1963, 1968, 1977, 1981, 1985, 1987, 2010, 2021-22
Crown Prince Cup 13 1963–64, 1994–95, 1999–00, 2003, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16 1997-1998, 2013–14, 2014–15
Super Cup 5 2015, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024 2016, 2020
Federation Cup 7 1986–87, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2005–06 1985-1986, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2007-2008, 2009-2010
Founder's Cup 1 1999–2000 -
Continental Asian Club Championship/AFC Champions League 4 1991, 2000, 2019, 2021 1986, 1987, 2014, 2017, 2022
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2s 1997, 2002 -
Asian Super Cup 2s 1997, 2000 2002
Regional (GCC Region) Gulf Club Champions Cup 2 1986, 1998 1987, 1992, 2000
Regional (Arab Region)
Arab Club Champions Cup 2 1996, 1997 1989, 2018–19, 2023
Arab Cup Winners' Cup 1 2000 -
Arab Super Cup 1 2001 1992, 1995
Worldwide FIFA Club World Cup - - 2022
  •   record
  • S shared record

Recent seasons

[edit]

The table below chronicles the achievements of Al Hilal in various competitions since 1999.

Key

[edit]
Champions Runners-up 3rd Place, 4th Place or Losing semi-finalists
Season Division Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pos King Cup Crown Prince Cup Competition Result Competition Result
League AFC Competitions Other
1999–2000 Premier League 22 11 6 5 39 19 39 5th Not held W Asian Club Championship
W
W
RU
W
2000–01 Premier League 22 14 5 3 36 16 44 4th SF
W
QF 		Federation Cup
 QS
W
W
W
2001–02 Premier League 22 14 7 1 54 17 49 1st R16 Asian Cup Winners Cup
W
RU
SF
2002–03 Premier League 22 11 8 3 28 18 41 5th W
RU
GS
QS
3rd
2003–04 Premier League 22 12 4 6 40 18 40 4th SF AFC Champions League GS
RU
4th
2004–05 Premier League 22 13 6 3 41 21 45 1st W — —
W
3rd
2005–06 Premier League 22 13 5 4 41 21 44 2nd W AFC Champions League GS Federation Cup
W
2006–07 Premier League 22 17 2 3 38 15 53 2nd SF AFC Champions League QF
QS
QS
2007–08 Premier League 22 14 6 2 36 13 48 1st SF W — —
RU
SF
2008–09 Pro League 22 15 5 2 41 9 50 2nd SF W — — Federation Cup
SF
2009–10 Pro League 22 18 2 2 56 18 56 1st RU W AFC Champions League R16 Federation Cup
RU
2010–11 Pro League 26 19 7 0 52 18 64 1st SF W AFC Champions League
SF
 — —
2011–12 Pro League 26 18 6 2 58 22 60 3rd SF W AFC Champions League R16 — —
2012–13 Pro League 26 17 5 4 62 26 56 2nd QF W AFC Champions League QF — —
2013–14 Pro League 26 20 3 3 60 24 63 2nd QF RU AFC Champions League R16 — —
2014–15 Pro League 26 16 6 4 46 17 54 3rd W RU AFC Champions League
RU
 — —
2015–16 Pro League 26 17 4 5 52 23 55 2nd SF W AFC Champions League
SF
 Saudi Super Cup
W
2016–17 Pro League 26 21 3 2 63 16 66 1st W SF AFC Champions League R16 Saudi Super Cup
RU
GS
2017–18 Pro League 26 16 8 2 47 23 56 1st R16 Not held AFC Champions League
RU
 — —
2018–19 Pro League 30 21 6 3 66 33 69 2nd SF AFC Champions League GS Saudi Super Cup
W
RU
2019–20 Pro League 30 22 6 2 74 26 72 1st W AFC Champions League
W
 FIFA Club World Cup
4th
2020–21 Pro League 30 18 7 5 60 27 61 1st R16 AFC Champions League Withdrew[a] Saudi Super Cup
RU
2021–22 Pro League 30 20 7 3 63 28 67 1st RU AFC Champions League
W
 Saudi Super Cup
W
4th
2022–23 Pro League 30 17 8 5 54 29 59 3rd W AFC Champions League
RU
 Saudi Super Cup
SF
RU
2023–24 Pro League 34 31 2 0 101 23 96 1st W AFC Champions League
SF
 Saudi Super Cup
W
  1. ^ Al-Hilal failed to name the required 13 players and were unable to play their final match of the group stage against Shabab Al-Ahli due to them having only 11 players left with the remaining team members testing positive for COVID-19. They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all previous matches played by them shall be considered "null and void" and would not be considered in determining the final group rankings.

Records

[edit]

Asian record

[edit]

Overview

[edit]
As of 23 April 2024
Competition Pld W D L GF GA
AFC Champions League Elite 167 87 43 37 283 163
Asian Club Championship 41 26 8 7 72 34
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 17 12 3 2 42 9
Asian Super Cup 6 3 2 1 6 4
TOTAL 231 128 56 47 403 210

Record by country

[edit]
Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Win%
 Australia 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1 000.00
 Bangladesh 2 2 0 0 9 1 +8 100.00
 China 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00
 India 2 2 0 0 8 0 +8 100.00
 Iran 50 23 12 15 65 43 +22 046.00
 Iraq 7 6 1 0 13 5 +8 085.71
 Japan 11 5 3 3 17 13 +4 045.45
 Kazakhstan 2 1 1 0 2 0 +2 050.00
 Kuwait 10 5 4 1 17 5 +12 050.00
 Lebanon 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 100.00
 North Korea 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00
 Oman 1 1 0 0 5 0 +5 100.00
 Palestine 2 2 0 0 7 1 +6 100.00
 Qatar 38 21 10 7 76 42 +34 055.26
 Saudi Arabia 9 5 1 3 14 10 +4 055.56
 South Korea 10 5 1 4 8 9 −1 050.00
 South Yemen 2 2 0 0 7 0 +7 100.00
 Syria 4 2 2 0 6 4 +2 050.00
 Tajikistan 6 5 0 1 13 5 +8 083.33
 Thailand 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 100.00
 Turkmenistan 1 1 0 0 4 2 +2 100.00
 United Arab Emirates 44 21 13 10 70 50 +20 047.73
 Uzbekistan 22 14 6 2 45 15 +30 063.64
 Yemen 2 1 1 0 6 2 +4 050.00

Matches

[edit]
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1986 Asian Club Championship 2R South Yemen Al-Shorta 2–0 5–0 1st
Final Round Japan Furukawa Electric 3–4 2nd
China Liaoning 2–1
Iraq Al-Talaba 2–1
1987 Asian Club Championship Group A Iraq Al-Rasheed 2–1 1st
Thailand Bangkok Bank 4–0
Final Japan Yomiuri – Withdrew
1990–91 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2R Bangladesh Mohammedan 7−0 2–1 9–1
SF Iran Persepolis 0−0 0−1 0–1
1991 Asian Club Championship 1R Kuwait Al-Jahra 2–0 2–0 4–0
Group B North Korea April 25 2–0 1st
Iran Esteghlal 1–0
SF United Arab Emirates Al-Shabab 1–0 1–0
Final Iran Esteghlal 1–1 (4–3 p) 1–1 (4–3 p)
1996–97 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 1R Bahrain Al-Qadisiya – w/o[A]
2R Kuwait Al-Arabi 6–0 0–1 6–1
QF Oman Al-Nasr 5–0 –[B] w/o
SF Iran Esteghlal 0–0 (5–4 p) 0–0 (5–4 p)
Final Japan Nagoya Grampus Eight 3–1 3–1
1997 Asian Super Cup Final South Korea Pohang Steelers 1–0 1–1 2−1
1997–98 Asian Club Championship 2R Qatar Al-Rayyan 3–2 0–0 3–2
QF Iran Persepolis 0–1 2nd
Uzbekistan Navbahor Namangan 3–1
Lebanon Al-Ansar 3–1
SF South Korea Pohang Steelers 0–1 0–1
Third place Iran Persepolis 4–1 4–1
1998–99 Asian Club Championship 1R Kuwait Al-Salmiya 3–2 0–0 3–2
2R Yemen Al-Wehda 4–0 2–2 6–2
QF Iran Esteghlal 1–2 3rd
Turkmenistan Köpetdag Aşgabat 4–2
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 0–1
1999–2000 Asian Club Championship 2R Qatar Al-Sadd 2–1 1–0 3–1
QF Kazakhstan Irtysh 2–0 1st
Iraq Al-Shorta 1–0
Iran Persepolis 0–0
SF South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1–0 1–0
Final Japan Júbilo Iwata 3–2 (asdet) 3–2 (asdet)
2000 Asian Super Cup Final Japan Shimizu S-Pulse 1–1 2–1 3−2
2000–01 Asian Club Championship 1R Syria Al-Karamah 2–1 0–0 2–1
2R Kuwait Al-Salmiya 3–1 0–0 3–1
QF Kazakhstan Irtysh 0–0 4th
Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 0–2
Iran Persepolis 1–3
2001–02 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 1R Syria Tishreen 1–1 3–2 4–3
2R State of Palestine Al-Aqsa 5–0 2–1 7–1
QF Tajikistan Regar-TadAZ Tursunzoda 3–0 2–0 5–0
SF Qatar Al-Sadd 1–0 1–0
Final South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–1 (asdet) 2–1 (asdet)
2002 Asian Super Cup Final South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1–0 0–1 1–1 (2–4 p)
2002–03 AFC Champions League Group C United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 0–1 4th
Iran Esteghlal 3–2
Qatar Al-Sadd 1–3
2004 AFC Champions League Group C United Arab Emirates Sharjah 0–0 2–5 2nd
Iraq Al-Shorta 2−0 2−1
2006 AFC Champions League Group B United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2–1 0–2 2nd
Iraq Al-Mina'a 3−1 1−1
Uzbekistan Mash'al 5−0 1−2
2007 AFC Champions League Group B Kuwait Kuwait 1–1 0–0 1st
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 2−0 2−0
QF United Arab Emirates Al-Wahda 1−1 0−0 1–1 (a)
2009 AFC Champions League Group A Iran Saba Qom 1–1 1–0 1st
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 2−0 1−1
United Arab Emirates Al-Ahli 2−1 3−1
R16 Qatar Umm Salal 0–0 (3–4 p) – 0–0 (3–4 p)
2010 AFC Champions League Group D Qatar Al-Sadd 0–0 3–0 1st
Iran Mes Kerman 3−1 1−3
United Arab Emirates Al-Ahli 1−1 3−2
R16 Uzbekistan Bunyodkor 3–0 – 3–0
QF Qatar Al-Gharafa 3–0 2–4 5–4 (a.e.t.)
SF Iran Zob Ahan 0–1 0–1 0–2
2011 AFC Champions League Group A Iran Sepahan 1–2 1–1 2nd
Qatar Al-Gharafa 2–0 1–0
United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 3−1 3–2
R16 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad – 1–3 1–3
2012 AFC Champions League Group D Iran Persepolis 1–1 1–0 1st
Qatar Al-Gharafa 2–1 3–3
United Arab Emirates Al-Shabab 2−1 1–1
R16 United Arab Emirates Baniyas 7–1 – 7–1
QF South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 0–4 0–1 0–5
2013 AFC Champions League Group D United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2–0 1–3 2nd
Qatar Al-Rayyan 3–1 2–0
Iran Esteghlal 1–2 1–0
R16 Qatar Lekhwiya 0–1 2–2 2–3
2014 AFC Champions League Group D United Arab Emirates Al-Ahli 2–2 0–0 1st
Iran Sepahan 1–0 2–3
Qatar Al-Sadd 5–0 2–2
R16 Uzbekistan Bunyodkor 3–0 1–0 4–0
QF Qatar Al-Sadd 1–0 0–0 1–0
SF United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 3–0 1–2 4–2
Final Australia Western Sydney Wanderers 0–0 0–1 0–1
2015 AFC Champions League Group C Uzbekistan Lokomotiv Tashkent 3–1 2–1 1st
Qatar Al-Sadd 2–1 0–1
Iran Foolad 2–0 0–0
R16 Iran Persepolis 3–0 0–1 3–1
QF Qatar Lekhwiya 4–1 2–2 6–3
SF United Arab Emirates Al-Ahli 1–1 2–3 3–4
2016 AFC Champions League Group C Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 4–1 2–2 2nd
United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 1−0 1–1
Iran Tractor Sazi 0−2 2–1
R16 Uzbekistan Lokomotiv Tashkent 0–0 1–2 1–2
2017 AFC Champions League Group D Iran Persepolis 0–0 1–1 1st
Qatar Al-Rayyan 2–1 4–3
United Arab Emirates Al-Wahda 1–0 2–2
R16 Iran Esteghlal Khuzestan 2–1 2–1 4–2
QF United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 3–0 0–0 3–0
SF Iran Persepolis 4–0 2–2 6–2
Final Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 1–1 0–1 1–2
2018 AFC Champions League Group D United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 0–0 1–2 4th
Iran Esteghlal 0–1 0–1
Qatar Al-Rayyan 1–1 1–2
2019 AFC Champions League Group C United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2–0 1–0 1st
Qatar Al-Duhail 3–1 2–2
Iran Esteghlal 1–0 1–2
R16 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 0–1 4–2 4–3
QF Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 3–1 0–0 3–1
SF Qatar Al-Sadd 2–4 4–1 6–5
Final Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 1–0 2–0 3–0
2020 AFC Champions League Group B Iran Shahr Khodro 2–0 0–0 Withdrew[C]
United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli – 2–1
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 2–1 0–0
2021 AFC Champions League Group A Uzbekistan AGMK 2–2 3–0 2nd
United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli 2–0 0–2
Tajikistan Istiklol 3–1 1–4
R16 Iran Esteghlal 2–0 2–0
QF Iran Persepolis 3–0 3–0
SF Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2–1 2–1
Final South Korea Pohang Steelers 2–0 2–0
2022 AFC Champions League Group A United Arab Emirates Sharjah 2–1 2–2 1st
Qatar Al-Rayyan 0–2 3–0
Tajikistan Istiklol 1–0 3–0
Round of 16 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli 3–1 3–1
QF Iran Foolad 1–0 1–0
SF Qatar Al-Duhail 7–0 7–0
Final Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 1–1 0–1 1–2
2023–24 AFC Champions League Group D Uzbekistan Navbahor 1–1 2–0 1st
Iran Nassaji Mazandaran 2–1 3–0
India Mumbai City 6–0 2–0
R16 Iran Sepahan 3–1 3–1 6–2
QF Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 2–0 2–0 4–0
SF United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2–1 2–4 4–5

Key: PO – Play-off round; 1R/2R – First/Second round; R16 – Round of 16; QF – Quarter-final; SF – Semi-final;

Notes
  • ^
    Al Qadisiya withdrew.
  • ^
    Al Nasr withdrew at the start of the second half of the 1st leg.
  • ^
    Al Hilal failed to name the required 13 players and were unable to play their final match of the group stage against Shabab Al Ahli due to them having only 11 players left with the remaining team members testing positive for COVID-19. They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition.

    • Top scorers in Asian competitions

    [edit]
    Player Country Goals
    1 Sami Al-Jaber  Saudi Arabia 23
    Salem Al-Dawsari  Saudi Arabia
    3 Bafétimbi Gomis  France 20
    4 Yasser Al-Qahtani  Saudi Arabia 18
    5 Mohammad Al-Shalhoub  Saudi Arabia 13
    Abdullah Al-Jamaan  Saudi Arabia
    7 Carlos Eduardo  Brazil 12
    8 Nasser Al-Shamrani  Saudi Arabia 11
    9 Yousuf Al-Thunayan  Saudi Arabia 10
    Omar Kharbin  Syria

    See also

    [edit]

    Top goal scorer in history of Al Hilal

    1- Sami Al-Jaber 175 goals

    2- Yasser Al-Qahtani 132 goals

    3- Bafétimbi Gomis 116 goals

    4- Salem Al-Dawsari 112 goals

    5- Mohammad Al-Shalhoub 102 goals

    References

    [edit]
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    1. ^ owned by Public Investment Fund
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