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.
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 ( 2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11).
Al-Hilal later faced UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea but lost 1–0 to face off Egyptian club Al Ahly SC for the match for 3rd place, who are the winners of the 2020-21 CAF Champions League, in which Al-Hilal lost in a 4–0 defeat with a disappointing performance hence Al-Hilal were awarded the 4th position in the tournament. In September 2022, Al-Hilal offered Cristiano Ronaldo a two-year contract worth €242 million.
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.
However, Ronaldo rejected the proposal, [5] calling it "obscene". [6][7] If accepted, Ronaldo's transfer would have been the most expensive, exceeding Neymar's €222 million transfer. [8] The reports of the offer first surfaced in July 2022, but the Saudi club name was not known. [9] 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".
[6][7] In February 2023, Al-Hilal played in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup and reached the final after victories against Wydad Casablanca and Flamengo. [10] [11] In the final they lost 5-3 to Real Madrid. [12] Grounds[edit] 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.
Internationally, 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. In September 2009, Al-Hilal was awarded Best Asian Club of the 20th Century by the IFFHS. [1] History[edit] Founding and early years (1957–1979)[edit] The idea of establishing the club began when the ranks of the Youth Club witnessed in 1377 AH a serious division among its leaders, which prompted Mr.