AFC Player of the Year

Lore & Background

The idea of establishing the club began when the ranks of the Youth Club witnessed in 1957 a serious division among its leaders, prompting Abdul Rahman bin Saeed to resign from the presidency of the Youth Club. A new club was established on 15 October 1957 in Riyadh. The club's name lasted for only one year before it was changed to its current name on 3 December 1958 by King Saud. Al-Hilal enjoyed grassroots support and royal attention.

The club made its first mark by lifting the King's Cup trophy in 1961, and won it again in 1964. The club also won the Crown Prince Cup in 1963–64. Al-Hilal were the inaugural winners of the Saudi Premier League in 1976–77 and also won the league title in 1978–79. In the 1980s, the club hired Saudi players such as Saleh Al-Nu'eimeh, Yousuf Al-Thunayan, and Sami Al-Jaber, winning four league titles and four King's Cup titles.

Al-Hilal were runners-up in the Asian Club Championship in 1986 and 1987. In the 1990s, the club achieved 23 titles and won its first Asian title, the Asian Club Championship, in 1991. Further Asian titles followed: the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and Asian Super Cup in 1997, the Asian Club Championship again in 1999–2000, another Asian Super Cup in 2000, and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 2002. In the 2000s, Al-Hilal dominated domestically alongside Al-Ittihad, winning league titles in 2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, and 2010–11.

The 2007–08 season saw Al-Hilal clinch the league title in Jeddah with a 1–0 win over Al-Ittihad, coupled with the Crown Prince Cup. Under Eric Gerets in 2009–10, Al-Hilal won the league with three games to spare and the Crown Prince Cup.

Reader's Guide

Al-Hilal has won a record 21 league titles, 13 Crown Prince Cup titles, seven Saudi Federation Cup titles, 10 King's Cup titles, five Saudi Super Cups, and the Saudi Founder's Cup. In continental competitions, the club has won a record eight AFC trophies: four Asian Club Championship/AFC Champions League titles (1991, 2000, 2019, 2021), two Asian Cup Winners' Cups (1997, 2002), and two Asian Super Cups (1997, 2000). The 1991 title was won under the Asian Club Championship, not the AFC Champions League. Internationally, Al-Hilal were runners-up in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first Asian club from outside the host nation to reach the final. In September 2009, Al-Hilal was awarded Greatest Asian Club of the 20th Century by the IFFHS. The club has a market value of €242.5 million as of 2024, the highest in Saudi Arabia.

Did You Know?

• Al-Hilal was founded on 16 October 1957, originally under a different name that lasted one year before being changed to Al-Hilal on 3 December 1958 by King Saud.
• Brazilian legends Mario Zagallo and Rivellino played for Al-Hilal in the 1970s.