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Arab News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Al-Hilal part ways with coach Jorge Jesus
Al-Hilal and coach Jorge Jesus have parted ways, according to a club announcement early on Saturday. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport 'The Board of Directors of Al-Hilal Club Company has agreed with the Portuguese head coach of the first football team Jorge Jesus to terminate the contractual relationship between them,' the club posted on social media. Coach Mohammed Al-Shalhoub will now take over first team duties. 'The Board expressed its appreciation for the efforts made by the technical staff since last season,' the Al-Hilal statement said. The surprising aspect about Jorge Jesus being dismissed by Al-Hilal is that it is not that surprising. The Portuguese boss took the job for a second time in July 2023 hit the ground running and, a few months later, was leading the Blues to a world-record winning streak of 34 games. It was a phenomenal first season with the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title, the King's Cup and the Saudi Super Cup. Yet despite the silverware, the bullet had been coming. Losing the semi-final of the AFC Champions League Elite against Al-Ahli 3-1 in late April was the final straw. The most successful team in the history of Asian football was just 90 minutes away from the final and a real chance of a fifth title, but in the end, the defeat was deserved. It comes after an uncertain period in which Al-Hilal have not looked like their usual selves. In November came a first league defeat in 18 months, a surprise 3-2 loss to Al-Khaleej. It was even more of a surprise given that the defending champions were 2-0 ahead at the break before throwing it all away in the second-half. Well, even Al-Hilal have to lose sometime. The next five league games brought the maximum 15 points, 23 goals, and title number 20 still looked to be on the cards but the loss had changed something. Al-Hilal were vulnerable, after all. In the following 13 league games, there were four defeats –including a painful Riyadh Derby loss to Nassr and a 4-1 loss to Ittihad– and four draws. Given Al-Hilal's high standards, it was a shock. It was also a gift to Al-Ittihad who were able to take control of the title race. Not winning the domestic title is always dangerous for a coach of Al-Hilal. Add an exit from Asian competition, then it really is time to worry. Leonardo Jardim was fired early in 2022, just a few weeks after winning the club's fourth Champions League. 'Things didn't go the way I planned, and when the result is negative, we look for a victim,' said Jesus just before the end. 'I am the one who bears responsibility. I am the one who builds the team and sets the match plans, and I am responsible as the coach." Everything comes from results and the change from a winning machine to a team that was then struggling to put wins together, meant that off the pitch pressures grew. The 70-year-old has come under attack with increasing regularity from ex-players and/or pundits which is never a good sign. There had also been rumours for a few months that some players had grown unhappy with the methods and that there was tension between the boss and some senior and influential players. As Al-Hilal started to lose the big games, tactics and in-game management were questioned. In the 7-0 thrashing of Gwangju FC in the Champions League quarter-finals, Hilal looked solid at the back and devastating in attack. Yet against Al-Ahli a few days later, Hassan Tambakti, who looked imperious in defence, was benched and in came Ali Al-Bulaihi,who did not have one of his best games. The Jeddah club were finding a lot of space between the lines and causing all kinds of problems but the Portuguese boss did not react quickly enough and by the time he started to do so, Kalidou Koulibaly was red carded and a tough situation became almost impossible. And there was some disquiet about the public linking of Jesus with the Brazil job. In some ways, this helped his position, initially, at least. How could Al-Hilal think about firing a coach that was being linked with the most successful national team in the world? But the longer it went on, it started to become a bigger story. Carlo Ancelotti was always the front-runner but Real Madrid started to become annoyed at how Brazil were going about trying to get their man, the Al-Hilal hierarchy took note of their man being in the news. The Brazilian media has said that Jesus wanted the job and was actually upset at being the second choice. It all meant that, with the season petering out at home and overseas, it was not a surprise that Hilal wanted a change. The FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament that Al-Hilal take very seriously, is looming, especially the opener against Real Madrid. Having a new man in charge sooner rather than later makes sense for that competition and also for the next season. Expect a big name.
LBCI
28-01-2025
- Sport
- LBCI
Neymar leaves Al-Hilal by mutual agreement
Neymar has parted ways with Al-Hilal by mutual consent, the Saudi Pro League champions said on Monday, after a disappointing spell at the club for Brazil's all-time top scorer. The 32-year-old sustained a knee injury in Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023 and has struggled to get back to his best. "Al-Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr. have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent" The Saudi club posted on X. Neymar has played only seven games for Al-Hilal since moving from Paris St Germain for a reported fee of around 90 million euros ($98 million) in August 2023. Brazilian media have reported that Neymar, who has scored 79 goals for the national team, will return to his childhood club Santos after leaving in 2013 to join Barcelona. Reuters
Ammon
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Ammon
Neymar leaves Al-Hilal by mutual agreement
Ammon News - Neymar has parted ways with Al-Hilal by mutual consent, the Saudi Pro League champions said on Monday, after a disappointing spell at the club for Brazil's all-time top scorer. The 32-year-old sustained a knee injury in Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023 and has struggled to get back to his best. "Al-Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr. have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent" The Saudi club posted on X. Neymar has played only seven games for Al-Hilal since moving from Paris St Germain for a reported fee of around 90 million euros ($98 million) in August 2023. Brazilian media have reported that Neymar, who has scored 79 goals for the national team, will return to his childhood club Santos after leaving in 2013 to join Barcelona. He moved to PSG from Barca for a world record fee of 222 million euros in August 2017. Reuters
Egypt Today
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Egypt Today
Neymar leaves Al-Hilal by mutual agreement
Jan 28 (Reuters) - Neymar has parted ways with Al-Hilal by mutual consent, the Saudi Pro League champions said on Monday, after a disappointing spell at the club for Brazil's all-time top scorer. The 32-year-old sustained a knee injury in Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023 and has struggled to get back to his best. "Al-Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr. have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent" The Saudi club posted on X. Neymar has played only seven games for Al-Hilal since moving from Paris St Germain for a reported fee of around 90 million euros ($98 million) in August 2023. Brazilian media have reported that Neymar, who has scored 79 goals for the national team, will return to his childhood club Santos after leaving in 2013 to join Barcelona. He moved to PSG from Barca for a world record fee of 222 million euros in August 2017.
The Independent
28-01-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Neymar terminates Al-Hilal contract amid links with return to former club
Neymar has parted ways with Al-Hilal by mutual consent, the Saudi Pro League champions have confirmed, after a disappointing spell at the club for Brazil's all-time top scorer. The 32-year-old sustained a knee injury in Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023 and has struggled to get back to his best. "Al-Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr. have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent, the Saudi club posted on X, formerly Twitter. Neymar has played only seven games for Al-Hilal since moving from Paris Saint Germain for a reported fee of around €90m (£77m) in August 2023. Brazilian media have reported that Neymar, who has scored 79 goals for the national team, will return to his childhood club Santos after leaving in 2013 to join Barcelona. He moved to PSG from Barca for a world record fee of €222m (£200m) in August 2017. The 32-year-old scored 126 goals in 225 appearances for Santos in his first stint at the club. The Serie B champions were promoted back into the top tier of Brazilian football after winning the second division title last year. The league season begins in late March. Neymar has set his sights on appearing at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
