SAUDI PRO LEAGUE

Messi receives offer to team up with Ighalo at Saudi club Al-Hilal

Published

1 year ago

May 5, 2023

Lionel Messi visits Saudi Arabia - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their sons during a visit to Saudi Arabia Saudi Ministry of Tourism/Handout via REUTERS

Lionel Messi has received a formal offer to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal next season, a source close to Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain told Reuters on Thursday. Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo is a key member of the Al Hilal.

The offer from the Saudi club is the only one Messi has received so far, the source added. Argentine media have reported that the offer is worth around $400 million a year.

Al-Hilal did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.

The 35-year-old Messi has also been linked in the media with a move back to boyhood club Barcelona, with the United States’ Major League Soccer club Inter Miami also being touted as a possible destination.

He was suspended by his current club Paris St Germain at the start of the week after making an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia, French sports daily L’Equipe reported on Tuesday, adding that PSG had decided against exercising an option to renew his contract for a third season.

Messi is a Saudi ambassador for tourism and his long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, signed for Saudi club Al-Nassr in December in a deal reported to be worth around $220 million per year.

A second source close to Messi told Reuters the suspension was imposed after the forward told PSG he would not stay in Paris following this season and felt the club lacked a project.

The source added that PSG had no training scheduled on Monday and the decision to hold a session was taken only after Messi was already in Saudi Arabia.

A source close to PSG denied this, telling Reuters Messi travelled without permission from the French club and despite there being a training session scheduled on Monday.

The source did not comment on whether Messi had already told PSG he intended to leave at the end of the season.

-Reuters

SAUDI PRO LEAGUE

Peseiro set to return to Saudi Arabia for petro-dollar job

Published

4 weeks ago

July 1, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Former Super Eagles’ coach, Jose Peseiro is on the line to coach Saudi Arabia Pro League first tier team, Al Riyadh.

Information from the oil rich country indicate that Peseiro who had previously coached the Saudi Arabia national team is one of the two being considered to replace Odair Hellmann at the Saudi club which placed 14^th at the end of last season.

It is gathered that Peseiro has a competitor in Spanish cooach, Javier Pereira who is also lineup for the job.

Peseiro had previously managed Al Hilal in 2006 and later coached the Saudi national team during their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

SAUDI PRO LEAGUE

Ronaldo breaks Saudi League’s single-season scoring record

Published

2 months ago

May 28, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Saudi Pro League - Al Nassr v Al Ittihad - Al-Awwal Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 27, 2024 Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Stringer

Al Nasr’s Cristiano Ronaldo capped his first full Saudi Pro League season in style as he broke the record for the most goals scored in one campaign on Monday.

The Portuguese 39-year-old scored a brace in his side’s 4-2 win over Al Ittihad on the final matchday to bring his league tally this season to 35 goals.

The previous record was held by former Al Nasr forward and Moroccan international Abderrazak Hamdallah, who scored 34 goals in 2018-19.

Ronaldo, who played for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, joined Al Nasr in January 2023.

-Reuters

SAUDI PRO LEAGUE

Ighalo’s former club, Al-Hilal secure Saudi League title

Published

3 months ago

May 12, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Saudi Pro League - Al Hilal v Al Hazem - Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 11, 2024 Al Hilal fans display banners in the stands as the celebrate after winning the Saudi Pro League REUTERS/Stringer

Undefeated Al-Hilal won a record-extending 19th Saudi Pro League title on Saturday with a 4-1 victory over Al-Hazem to reclaim the trophy from Al-Ittihad who won it last season.

Jorge Jesus’ side hold a 12-point advantage over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in second with three matches remaining.

Aleksandar Mitrovic gave Al-Hilal the lead from the penalty spot after 15 minutes but Faiz Selemani netted the equaliser for Al-Hazem in the 34th minute.

However, Jesus’s side took the lead again with an own goal from Ahmed Al-Juwaid in the 39th minute.

Mitrovic scored again in first-half stoppage time and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored three minutes later to make it 4-1.

Al-Hilal are chasing the treble having clinched the Saudi Super Cup title in April, and having reached the Saudi King’s Cup final where they will play Al-Nassr.

-Reuters