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SAUDI PRO LEAGUE

Ronaldo, Neymar and Benzema set sights on Asian Champions League title

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Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema have won a combined total of 11 UEFA Champions League titles and, starting Monday, they lead the Saudi Arabian challenge in the Asian edition.

Neymar, who last week surpassed Pele’s international goal tally for Brazil, arrived at Al-Hilal in August and made his league debut on Friday as the four-time Asian champion thrashed Abha 6-1. Hilal lost the final to Urawa Reds of Japan last May.

Since then, Saudi Arabian clubs have spent around $950 million on some of the biggest stars in the world. The spending is being fueled by a move by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund to take a majority ownership stake in four of the country’s top clubs, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr.

As well as Neymar, Al-Hilal has signed English Premier League stars Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly and Aleksandar Mitrovic as well as Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Brazilian winger Malcom and Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Mumbai City has been placed in the same group and the Indians are looking forward to a chance to take on Hilal and especially its Brazilian superstar.

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“I think anyone that’s seen the movement in some of these teams, and Neymar being the latest to arrive there, it’s exciting,” Mumbai’s coach Des Buckingham said. “They’re bringing that caliber and quality of player to India, which is going to be extremely exciting for us and for our club but also for the fans of India.”

In total, there are four Saudi Arabian representatives among the 40 in the group stage with the ten group winners and the six-best second -placed teams progressing to the second round.

After years of games between Saudi Arabia and Iran being played in neutral venues, Ronaldo will lead Al-Nassr to Tehran on Tuesday to take on Persepolis. The visitor has never lifted the Asian trophy.

Persepolis president Reza Darvish told local television earlier this month that Al-Nassr will be provided with full access to the internet, unlike the general public in the country.

“I have spoken with the CEO of Irancell, and I told him we want to give players and personnel Irancell SIM cards with unrestricted internet so they can use it from the time they enter Iran till the time they leave,” Darvish said.

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Al-Ittihad is Saudi Arabian champion and, as well as Benzema, has brought in past European winners such as N’Golo Kante from Chelsea and Fabinho from Liverpool. The two-time Asian champion starts against AGMK of Uzbekistan in Jeddah.

Al-Fayha completes the Saudi quartet but is not owned, like the other three, by the Public Investment Fund and does not have the same star power. The team starts with a tough trip to Uzbekistan to take on Pakhtakor.

The tournament is not all about the Saudi Arabian teams as it is split into geographic zones until the final, ensuring a representative from the eastern half of the continent next May.

Japan’s Urawa Reds is the current champion and Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i of South Korea lifted the trophy in 2020.

“We know that Saudi Arabian teams will provide strong opposition but the standard is rising all across Asia,” Ulsan coach Hong Myong-bo said. “We have to focus first on doing as well as we can .”

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-AP

 

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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

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Know The Nigerian Coach Jose Peseiro -

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 14th 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.

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Ronaldo breaks Saudi League’s single-season scoring record

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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

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

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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.

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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

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