The Asian continent is preparing to crown another champion of the AFC Champions League during the upcoming final that brings Al Hilal together with its Japanese counterpart, Urawa Red Diamonds, on April 29 in the capital (Riyadh) and back on May 6 in (Saitama).
By shedding light on the expected football event through a series, we review in this report the three most prominent elements within the Blue Battalion that would enhance the team’s chances of winning the fifth title in its history.
As: Salem Al-Dosari, Odion Ighalo, and Mohamed Kno are considered among the most important elements in the squad of Argentine coach Ramon Diaz, with the great capabilities they have and their extensive experience that provides an addition to the team aspiring to climb the podiums again.
“Tornado” storm stadiums
The international star, player of Al-Hilal Club, Salem Al-Dosari, is considered one of the most important players who have emerged in recent years on the Saudi and Asian stadiums, due to his high technical capabilities that have contributed to engraving his name among the brilliant football stars. From the first moment he represented Al-Hilal in 2012, Al-Dossary has remained a mainstay in the team for 12 years now, and his innate talent contributed to reserving a permanent seat for him with Al-Azraq in various tournaments.
The “Tornado” with Al-Hilal won a lot of glories, as it won the league title 4 times, the King’s Cup 3 times, the same title as the Crown Prince Cup and the Super Cup, and two titles in the AFC Champions League competition in 2019 and 2021, and it looks forward to winning its third title and the fifth for its team in the history of the competition.
The green and blue star played with the Saudi national team 76 international matches, during which he scored 21 goals, and is considered one of the most prominent scorers for Saudi Arabia in the World Cup, after he scored 3 goals, including one in the World Cup Russia 2018 and two goals in the World Cup Qatar 2022.
The Nigerian “eagle” is dangerous
The Al-Hilal team is distinguished for making successful deals in many playing positions, specifically in the offensive line, and the presence of Nigerian Odion Ighalo is an extension of the series of prominent attackers who passed through the “blue” battalion.
From the first moment of Ighalo’s involvement in the ranks of Al-Hilal, the striker’s relationship began with the opponents’ net, if last season he scored 24 goals in the league competition, half of them with Al-Hilal, who crowned him with the competition title, and the other half with Al-Shabab, his former team.
The 33-year-old Nigerian striker went through multiple football experiences, most notably in the English Premier League with Watford, with whom he scored 33 goals in 82 games. He also played on loan with Manchester United, and before that he played several seasons in the ranks of Italian Udinese.
Ighalo leads the Saudi league’s top scorer rankings this season with 18 goals, and contributed with Al Hilal to achieving second place in the Club World Cup. He also scored 7 goals in the AFC Champions League, including the quadruple “Super Hattrick” against Al Duhail during the semi-final match.
“The Insightful Eye” as “Ma Fi Zio”
Mohamed Kno, the Al-Hilal club midfielder, is distinguished by his high fighting spirit, in addition to his audacity and great talent, as he has become one of the main axes in the team and the national team.
The importance of Kano in the ranks of Al-Hilal can be identified by looking at his statistics in the AFC Champions League 2022, as he was the highest number in tackles with a total of 10 times, in evidence of the importance of his tasks on the defensive side, and he is also distinguished by his influence in terms of moving the ball forward, He leads the statistics of the team’s players in terms of the number of passes towards the last third of the field, with a total of 102 passes, and he has scored one goal and made another so far.
The 28-year-old Kno joined Al-Hilal from Al-Ettifaq Club in 2017, and he was paying the price for strength on the defensive level by being expelled twice in the Club World Cup, and he also received 13 warnings in the five seasons he fought with Al-Hilal in the League. Asian champions. He is a candidate to play a vital role in my final match this year.
