Remember when Cristiano Ronaldo said the Saudi Pro League was better than France’s Ligue 1 last December? Yeah, everyone laughed. The Portuguese superstar’s comments at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai seemed like he was bigging up the Saudi Pro League. But after Al Hilal’s insane 4-3 extra-time victory over Manchester City at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium? Well, maybe CR7 wasn’t talking nonsense after all.
“Saudi League is better than Ligue 1, of course,” Ronaldo had said, throwing in that “France only has PSG. The rest are finished.” Pretty bold words from a guy who moved to the Middle East. Most people thought he was just trying to justify leaving Europe. But now Al Hilal has gone and beaten a former European champion, and suddenly Ronaldo’s looking like some kind of prophet.
The match itself? Absolute madness. What should’ve been City cruising to an easy win turned into Pep Guardiola’s worst nightmare. Bernardo Silva scored early in the ninth minute, but then City just couldn’t finish their chances. Marcos Leonardo and Malcom flipped the script completely before Erling Haaland dragged the game to extra time. Phil Foden needed to equalise again after Kalidou Koulibaly put Al Hilal ahead – it was like watching a tennis match. However, Leonardo had the last laugh, sealing this historic win in the 112th minute.
Let’s be real here – this isn’t just an upset. It’s massive. It is one of the biggest shocks, dare I say, in the history of the game. Al Hilal have put Manchester City out. This is not an exaggeration, and this completely messes with everything we thought we knew about football’s pecking order. The established hierarchy? Gone. Just like that.
For Saudi football, this is huge. They’ve been throwing money around trying to get respect and beating the team that everyone thinks is one of the best in the world? That’s how you make a statement. It’s the kind of result that makes everyone sit up and pay attention – whether they want to or not.
The real hero of the night was Al Hilal’s keeper, Yassine Bounou. This guy was unreal – 10 saves against City’s attack that usually tears teams apart. He’s been on fire this whole tournament with 23 saves in four games, leading the entire Club World Cup. The Moroccan was so good that even Haaland was joking that Bounou should come play for City.
Meanwhile, poor Rodri had a shocker. The Ballon d’Or winner came on in the 53rd minute, still getting back from that knee injury, and he just looked lost out there. Zero tackles, got dribbled past twice, then subbed off in extra time. Social media went crazy – people were asking if he’s “the worst Ballon d’Or winner of all time”. Harsh? Maybe. But that’s football fans for you and Rodri’s current reality.
Guardiola tried to keep it together after the match, but you could tell he was frustrated. “We regret a little bit that we allowed them to run a bit more,” he said, which is Pep’s way of saying “we messed up big time.” He admitted they had problems at both ends of the pitch, especially being clinical when it mattered.
Interestingly, this loss cost City over £9 million, and they missed out on another £15 million if they’d made the quarters. For a club that’s used to winning everything and cashing those big cheques, that’s got to sting.
But forget the money for a second. This result changes everything. Al Hilal haven’t just fluked this – they beat Pachuca 2-0, drew with Salzburg, got a 1-1 against Real Madrid, then knocked out City. That’s not luck; that’s quality. They’re proving they can go toe to toe with anyone.
And you know what? Ronaldo’s point about the conditions starts making sense, too. “Try to sprint in 38, 39, or 40-degree weather and see,” he’d said. We all thought it was an excuse, but maybe playing in that crazy heat makes these players tougher. They’re used to suffering through brutal conditions that European players only face occasionally, and the last thing Manchester City needed at that time was an extra 30 minutes.
The Portuguese star had also talked about how competitive the Saudi league is: “It is difficult to become a champion in Saudi Arabia. This year, Al Hilal are better, Al Ittihad are top of the league, but I believe we have to push hard to be champions.” Turns out he wasn’t just blowing smoke. If Al Hilal can beat City, what does that say about the teams they’re playing every week in Saudi?
This whole thing validates what the Saudis have been doing – bringing in stars like Ronaldo, Benzema, and Ngolo Kante isn’t just about marketing. They’re actually building something real. These aren’t retirement homes for washed-up players anymore; they are a legit competitive league where proper football is being played.
European clubs can’t be arrogant anymore. The days of showing up and expecting to steamroll teams from the Middle East? Over. Done. Al Hilal just proved that with the right setup, any team from anywhere can compete with Europe’s elite.
For Manchester City, this is embarrassing. Guardiola admitted their defence “looked as poor as they looked in stages last season” and that they were “literally all over the place”. Getting exposed like that by a Saudi team? City fans won’t forget this anytime soon.
Now City have to lick their wounds and focus on the new season. But for Al Hilal and Saudi football? This is just the start. They’ve shown they belong with the big boys, and suddenly Ronaldo’s “crazy” claims don’t sound so crazy.
Whether the Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1 is still up for debate, and trust Softfootball to bring you all the twists and turns. But one thing’s for sure – nobody can dismiss them as inferior anymore. Al Hilal beating Manchester City isn’t just a football result; it’s a game-changer that flips everything we thought about global football on its head.
And somewhere in Saudi Arabia right now, Cristiano Ronaldo’s probably got the biggest “I told you so” grin on his face. The man called it, and now everyone who laughed at him is eating their words. Sometimes, just sometimes, the superstars know what they’re talking about.
