Al Hilal Transfer News, Analysis and Overview- 2024
Al Hilal Saudi Football Club known commonly as Al Hilal are a club competing in the Saudi Pro League. Based out of the capital city of Riyadh, they are the most decorated Asian club. The giants have amassed a total of 70 trophies and are looking formidable as we leap into the future as well. They are one of the ever-presents of the Saudi League since its inception.
The club’s name translates to “The Crescent Moon” in Arabic. Ever since its inception in 1958, the club received excellent backing from the Royal Crown of Saudi Arabia. Alongside fellow clubs such as Al Nassr, Al Riyadh and Al-Kawkab, they were supposed to usher Saudi sports into a new dawn. After building a squad in the first couple of seasons, Al Hilal won their first silverware in 1961. They lifted the King’s Cup in 1961 first before winning it again in 1964 and also adding a Crown Prince Cup in the same year.
Al Hilal are one of the founding members of the Saudi Premier League and has taken part in every season of the league. To testify to their dominance, they are the record-holding winners of the league with 19 championship titles to their name. They were the inaugural winners in the 1976-1977 season and further success followed in the 1980s as they imported premium coaches from Brazil.
In the following decade, they maintained their success in the league with four league titles in 10 years. But it couldn’t translate into continental success as they fell short in the finals.
This all changed in 1991 as Al Hilal lifted the Asian Champions League beating Iranian club Esteghlal in the finals. This period saw their club produce Saudi Arabia’s finest footballers in Sami Al-Jaber, Nawaf Al-Temyat and Ahmed Al-Dokhi.
Saudi Premier League saw a duopoly of Al Hilal and Al Ittihad in the early 2000s. Hilal were backed by the Royal Crown and a favourite of the Rich and Upper Class. Ittihad were however the darlings of the working class from the city of Jeddah. Al Hilal won the league on the final day against a title-chasing Al Ittihad courtesy of a late winner in 2008.
The next decade saw Al Hilal hit some turbulence as they struggled at the domestic and continental stage. They arrested a slide that lasted almost 9 years in 2019/20 by winning a historic continental treble. The arrivals of Bafetimbi Gomis, Sebastien Givinco and Jang Hyun-soo boosted the club and they walked their way to the league title by accumulating a record 72 points. Soon AFC Champions League success followed against Urawa Red Diamonds. The treble was then sealed as they won 2-1 against Al Nassr in the King’s Cup final.
Another Champions League title win in 2021 saw them become the single record-holding champions of the tournament with 4 titles. This was to go with their record-breaking titles won in Saudi as well.
In the 2023/2024 season in the Saudi Pro League in a changing landscape, Al Hilal showed their might by winning the league in style with superstars such as Neymar Jr, Alexander Mitrovic, Malcom, Salen Al-Dawsari, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Yassine Bounou.
Al Hilal Transfers Club Performance History
Al Hilal were backed by the Royal Crown of Saudi and accessibility of players was never an issue for them. They often sought the best players from Saudi Arabia. Through scouting and their excellent academy, they always boasted a strong Saudi Arabian contingent.
The excellence of Al Hilal’s Saudi contingent turned out to be their bane once. In 1987, the Saudi contingent were called for national duty and Al Hilal weren’t able to field a team in the AFC Champions League finals.
After the turn of the century, Al Hilal focused on Korean and European markets to sign further players that would boost their brand. However, the brand truly went global in 2023 when the PIF started investing in these clubs in a bid to make the Saudi League one of the most attractive ever. Al Hilal then had a free hand in signing superstars from around the world. Neymar Jr was the first one to be captured and others soon followed.
Al Hilal Transfer Strategy and Philosophy
Al Hilal’s transfer strategy in the 1960s was trusting the grassroots of Saudi Arabian football. They wanted to give the budding footballers a platform and signed players for the academy.
Their glorious periods saw them produce Al Hilal and Saudi Arabian captain Saleh Al-Nu’eimeh and Yousuf Al-Thunayan and Sami Al-Jaber to name a few. Nawaf Al-Temyat, Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, Abdallah Al-Jamaan, and Ahmad Al-Dokhi all broke through soon and made Al Hilal an unstoppable force domestically.
But the game going global meant they needed imports from foreign leagues to dominate the Asian stages. Once the PIF started backing their project and vision, there was no stopping the club in the transfer market as well.
Al Hilal Transfer 2024 Challenges & criticisms
Ever since the increase of foreign players was allowed in the league, it saw a greater influx of talent into the league. This was criticized as a roadblock to the young and budding Saudi footballers by many.
Though they have Salem Al-Dawsari and Nasser Al-Dawsari as key players in the starting lineup, the old fans of the club feel that they were losing the Saudi Arabian essence of the club.
Also, the commitment of the players coming into the club was questioned. Neymar Jr in particular was signed as a marquee but only scored once for the club and made less than 10 appearances in a year and a half. He was always criticised that he used the club to boost his bank balance and party around in a non-serious league while enjoying a lavish lifestyle.
This has surely forced Al Hilal to have a second look at their signings and question themselves whether the players were truly into the project.
Most Expensive Al Hilal Transfers
Saudi Arabia was a country keen on moving away from its dependence on fossil fuels as a source of economy. Football was a natural interest for them and they wanted to become a high profile destination for the game. They wanted their league to be the best, their national team to compete on the biggest stages and the country to host crucial tournaments such as the World Cup.
Hence, PIF, an extension of the Royal Crown, wanted to invest in the Saudi Pro League clubs and help them bring football’s best players into the league. Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the greatest player of all time made the move to the Saudi League in January 2023 and opened the floodgates. In the summer of 2023, the Saudi League spent money at a never-before rate and Al Hilal spent €376 million.
Al Hilal then made their most expensive transfers all in one window. They spent 10 times their transfer record fee till then on Neymar Jr by signing him for €90 million. What’s clever about Al Hilal was they bought into the vision of the manager Jorge Jesus.
Instead of splashing cash on all big names, they only got the ones that tactically fit the plan. Coming in as the second most expensive player was Malcom. The Brazilian forward after a torrid spell at Barcelona, rediscovered his magic at Zenit. He played a pivotal role in Al Hilal’s title charge.
Midfield lynchpins Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves were also signed to screen the defence and take the games away from the opposition by keeping hold of the ball. Alexander Mitrovic in red-hot form for Fulham was also snapped up. These signings gelled excellently as Jesus guided them to a record 19th league title.
Marcos Leonardo was signed in 2024 as they looked for Neymar Jr’s replacements as the Brazilian forward suffered yet another injury.
| Player | Transfer Amount (In Million Euros) | From (Club Name) | Year |
| Neymar Jr | 90 | PSG | 2023 |
| Malcom | 60 | Zenit | 2023 |
| Ruben Neves | 55 | Wolves | 2023 |
| Alexander Mitrovic | 52.6 | Fulham | 2023 |
| Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Leonardo | 40 each | Lazio, Benfica | 2023,2024 |
Al Hilal Transfer New Signings 2024/25
After a summer of exorbitant spending, this summer was all about stabilising and sustaining success. No new flashy names were required as the current squad bonded really well. Neymar Jr however was becoming a luxury player and the club wanted to give him one season to prove his worth.
However, succession planning was made as Marcos Leonardo came in from Benfica for €40 million. He was joined by Joao Cancelo for €25 million from Manchester City. The Portuguese fullback was cast out in England and was signed at an unbelievable price for a player of his quality.
Moteb Al-Harbi came in as a backup left-back to Renan Lodi at €28.5 million. He was the marquee Saudi Arabian signing for them. Khalid Al-Ghannam was brought in as attacking cover on loan.
| Player | From | Transfer fee (In Million Euros.) |
| Marcos Leonardo | Benfica | 40 |
| Moteb Al-Harbi | Al-Shabab | 28.95 |
| Joao Cancelo | Manchester City | 25 |
| Khalid Al-Ghannam | Al-Ettifaq | Loan |
Al Hilal Transfers All Outgoing 2024/25
On the outgoing front, Al Hilal used this window to trim their squad. It involved bidding goodbyes to some key players loyal servants from the past and selling some players who have been on loans.
Matheus Pereira fetched the highest fee of the lot with €5 million. He was one of the first and most exciting imports into the league in 2021. But he found the going tough in the Middle East and was sold to his native Brazil.
Michael and Saleh Al-Shehri were released as their contracts ran out. They were key cogs in the team that won the league.
Abdulhamid was sold to Roma as the full-back received an exciting opportunity in Europe. The clearout further continued as fringe players like Al-Malki were loaned out.
| Player | To | Transfer fee (In Million Euros.) |
| Matheus Pereira | Ceruzeiro | 5 |
| Saud Abdulhamid | Roma | 2.5 |
| Salman Al-Faraj | NEOM SC | 2.5 |
| Muath Fagihy | Al-Ittihad | 2.43 |
| Mohammed Al-Burayk | NEOM SC | 2.42 |
| Michael | Flamengo | Free |
| Saleh Al-Shehri | Al-Ittihad | Free |
| Abdulelah Al-Malki | Al-Ettifaq | Loan |
Top Signings for Al Hilal in 2024/25
Joao Cancelo has been the pick of the signings for Al Hilal. The full-back despite his defensive frailties, is one of the best in his position in the world. His fallout with Pep Guardiola led to him being moved around quite a bit before being signed by the Saudi champions.
He has started life in Riyadh well with a goal and 8 assists in all competitions till now. Always able to stretch defences in the league, Cancelo’s crossing has been delightful. In the AFC Champions League, he has notched his first goal for the club as well. They expect more of the same to overturn a 2-point deficit on Al Ittihad.
Worst Signings for Al Hilal in 2024/25
Moteb Al-Harbi was signed by Shabab for close to €30 million. He was expected to push Renan Lodi for a starting spot in the league. The Brazilian however was in excellent form and showed no signs of slowing down. This meant Al-Harbi was reduced to cameo appearances in the league.
His performances when given the chance in the AFC Champions League Elite have been underwhelming so far. The left-back has to offer a lot more to change the plans of the manager.
Al Hilal transfer Spend Till Now
Being outside of Europe, Al Hilal have no spending restrictions and governing bodies to answer to. The spending though, was too much for Al Hilal’s own liking in the previous window. So they cut down on splashing the cash. Though it would take a long time for them to show positive net spend, they won’t be worried as long as they can the spending in check.
| Total Spend –€93.95million | Total Received – €14.85 million |
FAQ’s
Who is Al Hilal’s most expensive buy?
Neymar Jr is Al Hilal’s most expensive buy at €90 million.
Where is Al Hilal based out?
Al Hilal is based out of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and competes in the Saudi Pro League
What is the record of Al Hilal?
Al Hilal is the most decorated club in Asia with 70 titles. They won the league title a record 19 times and the Asian title a record 4 times.
Who backs Al Hilal?
Al Hilal is backed by the investments of Public Investment Fund (PIF) an investment company of the Saudi Arabian Royal Crown