Al-Hilal president Fahad bin Nafel has broken his silence on the club’s inability to land marquee signings such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Theo Hernández, and Victor Osimhen ahead of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Despite their high-profile links to some of world football’s elite talents, the Saudi Pro League giants ultimately missed out on securing any of the targeted players during the brief transfer window.
Al-Hilal, who recently appointed former Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi as their new manager, had hoped to bolster their squad with top-tier reinforcements ahead of the global tournament. However, the club found itself navigating a combination of tight deadlines, high player demands, and a restricted transfer period, which ultimately proved decisive.
Cristiano Ronaldo was widely tipped for a potential short-term switch to Al-Hilal, with his current contract at Al-Nassr set to expire at the end of June. With Al-Nassr not qualifying for the Club World Cup, speculation mounted over Ronaldo possibly joining Al-Hilal to feature in the prestigious competition. Nevertheless, the move failed to materialize, leaving the Riyadh-based club to pursue alternative options.
In a recent statement cited by GOAL, Bin Nafel provided insight into the club’s struggles during the exceptional transfer period. He emphasized that time constraints and unrealistic financial and contractual demands from certain players and their entourages created significant obstacles.
“We held discussions with several top players,” Bin Nafel revealed. “But many of them had just finished long and demanding seasons. Their priority was rest and recovery, not an immediate return to competitive action. Despite our efforts to reinforce the squad before the FIFA Club World Cup, we were ultimately unsuccessful due to a combination of time pressure and illogical offers.”
The Al-Hilal president also highlighted the inherent limitations of an exceptional transfer window—one that operates under a compressed timeline and offers fewer options compared to the traditional summer market.
“Unlike the summer window, which allows more room for negotiation and strategic planning, this short window left us with limited opportunities,” he added. “That said, we’ve made a major step forward by appointing the best possible coach in Simone Inzaghi. His experience, tactical acumen, and success in Europe will bring a new dimension to our club.”
Inzaghi parted ways with Inter Milan following a disappointing 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Allianz Arena on May 31. Despite that result, the Italian tactician leaves behind a strong managerial legacy, having guided Inter to multiple trophies during his tenure, including Serie A and Coppa Italia titles. Al-Hilal will be banking on his experience to help them navigate both domestic and international competitions moving forward.
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With Al-Hilal set to represent the host nation at the upcoming Club World Cup, all eyes will be on how the new-look squad performs under Inzaghi’s leadership, even without the blockbuster signings they initially targeted.
