SAUDI PRO LEAGUE
Morocco keeper Bounou teams up with Neymar at Al-Hilal
Al-Hilal have signed Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou from Spanish side Sevilla on a three-year contract, the Saudi Pro League club said on Thursday.
“The Atlantic lion is our goalie,” Al-Hilal posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed but Spanish media reported Sevilla will receive 21 million euros ($22.8 million).
Al-Hilal said the deal was sponsored by its honorary President HRH Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.
Bounou, 32, was Sevilla’s first-choice goalkeeper, helping the Spanish team to win two Europa League titles and Morocco to reach last year’s World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.
Bounou, commonly known as Bono, was reportedly a target for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as a temporary stand-in for the injured Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer.
The most successful club in Saudi Arabia and Asia, Al-Hilal have won 66 trophies including 18 domestic league titles and four Asian Champions League crowns.
Al-Hilal this week signed Brazilian striker Neymar from Paris St Germain.
The club reappointed Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus on a one-year deal and signed former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Ruben Neves, Serbia’s Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly and Brazilian striker Malcom.
Al-Hilal host Al-Feiha in the next round of the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.
-Reuters
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.
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
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
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