Al Hilal’s World Record Streak Spells Out The Work Other Saudi Teams Need to Put in to Raise The League’s Competitiveness
On Tuesday, Neymar watched from the stands as his teammates secured a win that cemented them in the record books. It was Al Hilal’s 28th consecutive win and was one match more than Wales’s The New Saints 27-match winning streak in the 2016/17 season.
So far this season, Al Hilal has played 23 matches in the league and won 21 of them. Two games were draws, and the league leaders have yet to taste defeat. You have to go all the way back to September 2023, when Damac managed to hold Al Hilal to a 1-1 draw.
When Neymar got injured early in the season, the assumption was that the team would struggle without their marquee signing. However, his low-profile teammate Aleksandar Mitrovic stepped up and has led Al Hilal remarkably this season, coming second on the scoring charts, just behind Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
A key feature of the team that Jorge Jesus has built is the reduced reliance on individuals and the focus on building a team that is strong as a collective. When Mitrovic missed out on a key fixture due to suspension, Al Hilal looked to its homegrown players, who scored two goals to secure the win.
With teams like Al Nassr relying too much on their marquee signings, Al Hilal offers a different perspective on how a balanced squad can deliver remarkable results. Their success this season is bound to make other teams rethink their recruitment strategies when the summer transfer window opens.
