A star-studded trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Karim Benzema is set to electrify the Asian Champions League as they spearhead the Saudi Arabian challenge in the continent’s premier football tournament.
Collectively boasting an impressive haul of 11 UEFA Champions League titles, these football icons are now ready to make their mark on the Asian stage.
Neymar, fresh from surpassing Pele’s international goal record for Brazil, arrived at Al-Hilal in August. His league debut on Friday saw Al-Hilal, a four-time Asian champion, dismantle Abha 6-1, sending a strong message to their rivals. The club had narrowly lost in the final to Japan’s Urawa Reds last May.
What’s intriguing is the massive investment in Saudi Arabian football, with clubs shelling out approximately $950 million to acquire some of the world’s biggest stars.
This spending spree is primarily powered by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, which has taken majority ownership stakes in four top clubs: Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, and Al-Nassr.
Al-Hilal, in addition to Neymar, has secured English Premier League talents like Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Brazilian winger Malcom, and Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Mumbai City, positioned in the same group, eagerly anticipates the opportunity to take on Al-Hilal, especially with Neymar in the mix. Mumbai’s coach, Des Buckingham, expressed his excitement, saying, “They’re bringing that caliber and quality of player to India, which is going to be extremely exciting for us and for our club but also for the fans of India.”
A total of four Saudi Arabian teams are among the 40 in the group stage, with the top ten group winners and the six best second-placed teams advancing to the next round.
