In the end, the Saudi Pro League season didn't quite live up to the excitement that fans felt last summer when a host of world famous names arrived. Neymar, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sadio Mane and others all joined Cristiano Ronaldo in the Kingdom, but it soon became apparent that there wasn't going to be much of a title race.
AI Hilal were already a winning machine with 18 league titles and four Asian Championships - both records and quickly hit their stride. In the Riyadh derby in early December, it was first v second but when Hilal ran out 3-0 victors over AI Nassr, it was clear where the trophy was going. In the end, the Blues, led by Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, won with a margin of 14 points. In the meantime, they also embarked on a world-record winning-streak of 34 games in all competitions.
This story is from the July 2024 edition of World Soccer.
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This story is from the July 2024 edition of World Soccer.
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