Latest news with #KoenCasteels
Saudi Gazette
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
Casteels wins Golden Glove after standout debut season with Al Qadsiah
Saudi Gazette report ALKHOBAR — Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels has been named the 2024–25 Roshn Saudi Pro League Golden Glove winner after a stellar debut campaign with Al Qadsiah, marking him as one of the league's top shot-stoppers. Casteels recorded 14 clean sheets over the course of the season — one of the best tallies across the division — while making 81 successful saves in a campaign that saw him play a decisive role in Al Qadsiah's defensive stability. The Saudi Pro League made the announcement through its official channels, sharing a highlight video showcasing Casteels' best saves, many of which came in high-pressure moments that kept Al Qadsiah competitive throughout the season. Signed last summer from Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg, the 31-year-old brought international pedigree and composure to a newly promoted Qadsiah side that leaned on his experience. His consistency and leadership between the posts quickly established him as a key figure in the club's top-flight return.
Al Arabiya
27-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
From Benzema to al-Dawsari: Saudi Pro League End of Season Awards 2024-25
The curtain has come down on a thrilling Saudi Pro League season as Al Ittihad won its 10th title ahead of deposed champion Al Hilal. It was another campaign that demonstrated the improving quality of the Kingdom's top flight, with new arrivals such as Ivan Toney, Moussa Diaby and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang adding further depth to the division. There were also fine displays aplenty from familiar faces like Karim Benzema and Salem al-Dawsari, while Cristiano Ronaldo scooped the Saudi Pro League's Golden Boot for the second straight year. Picking out the cream of the crop from the entertaining games and excellent individual performances, here Al Arabiya English hands out its Saudi Pro League end-of-season awards. Best Goalkeeper: Koen Casteels (Al Qadsiah) Belgium international Casteels enjoyed a superb debut campaign in Saudi Arabia, with his solidity between the posts helping Al Qadsiah qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite – despite only being promoted back to the Kingdom's top flight last year. Casteels, who came through the youth set up at Genk with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, kept a divisional high of 14 clean sheets – playing every minute of every game as Michel's side finished fourth. Al Qadsiah has the Pro League's meanest defense, conceding just 31 goals; champion Al Ittihad was the next best - shipping 35 goals. Casteels praised Al Qadsiah's togetherness in a January interview with Al Arabiya English and that unity helped the club to a memorable campaign. Honorable mentions: Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli), Predrag Rajkovic (Al Ittihad), Orlando Mosquera (Al Fayha), Bono (Al Hilal) Best Defender: Danilo Pereira As it finished in fifth place in 2023-24, Al Ittihad conceded 54 goals – an astonishing 31 more than Al Hilal. This time around, it has shipped just 35, with only Al Qadsiah and Al Ahli letting in fewer. As a former center-back, it was no surprise that new Ittihad coach Laurent Blanc prioritized defensive reinforcements and Pereira – an arrival from Paris Saint-Germain – has been a colossus at the back for the newly crowned champion. Forging an impressive partnership with Saudi defender Hassan Kadesh, and more recently Saad al-Mousa, Danilo has been strong in the tackle, dominant in the air and a natural leader of Al Ittihad's defense. Honorable mentions: Hassan Kadesh (Al Ittihad), Nacho Fernandez (Al Qadsiah), Roger Ibañez (Al Ahli), Ali Majrashi (Al Ahli), Renan Lodi (Al Hilal) Best Midfielder: Houssem Aouar (Al Ittihad) While the likes of Cristian Guanca at Al Shabab, Cameron Puertas at Al Qadsiah and Gigi Wijnaldum at Al Ettifaq have been unquestionably influential for their respective clubs, no midfield player has come up with decisive interventions quite as often as Aouar this season. With N'Golo Kante and Fabinho focusing on defensive endeavors next to him, Algerian midfielder Auoar has produced a host of important creative contributions. Five of Auoar's 12 Saudi Pro League goals this season came in the 89th minute or later – with three of those proving to be match-winners for Ittihad. Honorable mentions: Cristian Guanca (Al Shabab), Houssem Aouar (Al Ittihad), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Gigi Wijnaldum (Al Ettifaq), Cameron Puertas (Al Qadsiah) Best Striker: Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad) Although Cristian Ronaldo finished the season as the Saudi Pro League's Golden Boot winner for the second straight season, he is pipped to the post for this award by his ex-Real Madrid team-mate Benzema. The Al Ittihad captain's transformation this season into his team's leading light was arguably the key factor in Blanc's team winning the title. He produced multiple clutch moments, including scoring home and away against both Al Hilal and Al Nassr, and contributing match-winning strikes against Al Taawoun and Al Shabab. Benzema finished on 21 goals for the season, behind only Ronaldo and Ivan Toney, while he also provided nine assists for team-mates. Honorable mentions: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Shabab), Ivan Toney (Al Ahli), Marcos Leonardo (Al Hilal) Best Saudi Player: Salem al-Dawsari (Al Hilal) On an individual level, Al Hilal captain al-Dawsari enjoyed the most stellar season of his career to date. While Al Hilal claimed just one major trophy – the Saudi Super Cup back in August – al-Dawsari has posted some staggering personal numbers in 2024-25. He scooped the AFC Champions League Golden Boot award after scoring 10 goals in Al Hilal's run to the semi-finals, while the veteran winger also recorded career-high total of both goals (15) and assists (14) in the Saudi Pro League. Al-Dawsari's combined 43 goal contributions in all competitions means he was involved in 30 percent of goals Hilal scored in 2024-25. Honorable mentions: Ayman Yahya (Al Nassr), Hassan Kadesh (Al Ittihad), Abdullah Al Salem (Al Khaleej), Musab al-Juwayr (Al Shabab), Ziyad al-Johani (Al Ahli) Best Creator: Moussa Diaby (Al Ittihad) Joint-top with Salem al-Dawsari in Saudi Pro League assists for the season, Diaby has been a vital provider for his Al Ittihad team-mates as they won the title. Diaby's total of 14 assists would certainly have been higher had he not missed six games through injury and two recently through suspension. Diaby arrived as Al Ittihad's club record €60 million signing last summer and has certainly lived up to his price tag; most memorably he became the first player to register four assists in one Saudi Pro League game – doing so against Al Wehda in September, the first game of a seven-match streak in which Diaby created at least one goal for his side. Honorable mentions: Salem al-Dawsari (Al Hilal), Cristian Guanca (Al Shabab), Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli), Sadio Mane (Al Nassr) Best Coach: Matthias Jaissle (Al Ahli) While Laurent Blanc of course deserves substantial credit for guiding Al Ittihad to the Saudi Pro League title in his first season in Saudi football, German coach Jaissle oversaw a historic campaign with Al Ahli. The 37-year-old guided the Jeddah club to a maiden AFC Champions League triumph in May – a milestone achievement for Al Ahli. Beyond that, Jaissle managed to balance the significant twin demands of domestic and continental competition – leading Al Ahli to a fifth-place finish in the Saudi Pro League, finishing just three points behind third-placed Al Nassr. Honorable mentions: Laurent Blanc (Al Ittihad), Michel (Al Qadsiah), José Gomes (Al Fateh), Pedro Emanuel (Al Fayha) Best Young Prospect: Musab al-Juwayr (Al Shabab) Musab Al-Juwayr has long been considered a player capable of achieving great things and 2024-25 was a breakout campaign for the Saudi midfielder. After two years of primarily being used as an impact substitute by Al Hilal, al-Juwayr moved on loan to Al Shabab in search of regular football. It has proved an inspired decision by the 21-year-old as he has played 29 games for Shabab – helping the club to an impressive sixth-place finish. For more Saudi sports news, visit our dedicated page. Al-Juwayr has been Al Shabab's midfield maestro, scoring four goals and assisting nine, and has also cemented his place as a regular starter in Herve Renard's XI for the Saudi Arabia national team. It will be interesting to see if Al Hilal sees a bigger role for him next season or if he will look for opportunities elsewhere. Honorable mentions: Saad al-Mousa (Al Ittihad), Jehad Thakri (Al Qadsiah), Ziyad al-Johani (Al Ahli) Best Goal: Musa Barrow (Al Taawoun) Unsurprisingly, there were plenty of contenders for this prize – including Karim Benzema's curling effort against Al Wehda and Salem al-Dawsari's solo run against Al Ittihad. But Al Taawoun hotshot Barrow gets the nod – chiefly because he could have won the award twice. In the space of a couple of months, he produced two contenders for goal of the season. The first came against Al Ittihad back in August, when Barrow advanced with the ball before thrashing a sensational strike past goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic from all of 35 yards out to silence the home fans in Jeddah. Then in December, Barrow scored a near identical goal against Al Ahli – rifling it home from distance again to leave Edouard Mendy with no chance. Best Match: Al Nassr 2-3 Al Ittihad Both Al Nassr and Al Hilal recorded remarkable 9-0 wins this season, but for sheer drama – and importance – Al Ittihad's recent victory over Al Nassr takes the top spot. Al Nassr and Al Ittihad have played out many classics over the years and the clash in Riyadh in May was another for the pantheon. Al Nassr raced into a 2-0 half-time lead as goals from Sadio Mane and Ayman Yahya looked to have done Riyadh rival Al Hilal a major favor. But Al Ittihad demonstrated its champion spirit as Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante scored in quick succession to make it 2-2 early in the second half, before midfielder Aouar netted in the fourth minute of stoppage time to strike what was arguably the key blow in the Saudi Pro League title race.
Arab News
27-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Coach Michel Gonzalez readies Al-Qadsiah for King's Cup final
JEDDAH: Spanish coach Michel Gonzalez put his Al-Qadsiah team through a light training session on Tuesday as they prepare for Friday's King's Cup final showdown against Al-Ittihad. Al-Qadsiah qualified for the final after beating Al-Raed 1–0 in the semifinal. Al-Ittihad beat Al-Shabab 3–2 to secure their spot. Gonzalez left several of his first team players out of Monday's Saudi Roshn League away clash with Al-Hilal at the Kingdom Arena, which they lost 2-0. Goalkeeper Koen Casteels, defenders Nacho, Ibrahim Mahnashi, Turki Al-Ammar, midfielder Nahitan Nandez and striker Julian Quinones were all rested ahead of final, which will be played at Al-Inma Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City. Al-Qadsiah will fly to Jeddah on Thursday and have their final training session at the stadium ahead of the match.
