Full name | Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club |
---|---|
Nickname(s) |
Al-Za'eem (The Boss), Mooj Al-Azraq (The Blue Wave), Al-Nadi Al-Malaki (The Royal Club) |
Founded | 15 October 1957 |
Ground | King Fahd Stadium |
Capacity | 62,685 |
President | Nawaf Bin Sa'ad |
Manager | Ramón Díaz |
League | Professional League |
2015–16 | Professional League, 2nd |
Website | Club home page |
Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club (Arabic: نادي الهلال السعودي لكرة القدم), also known simply as Al-Hilal (The Crescent), is a Saudi Arabian professional football team based in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. It plays at the Saudi Professional League and holds 57 official titles. Founded in 1957, it has obtained a record of 43 domestic titles as well as a record 6 trophies in various Asian championships, and a record of 8 Arab championships.
The club's nicknames are "The Boss", "The Blue Waves" and "The Royal Club". The IFFHS ranked Al-Hilal as the Asian Club of the 20th Century.
Among the club's most famous players were Yousuf Al-Thunayan and Sami Al-Jaber of the Saudi Arabian national football team, and goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea. The club's current manager is Ramon Diaz and is captained by Yasser Al-Qahtani.
Al-Hilal Club was originally known as the Olympic Club during its founding by Abdul Rahman Bin Saad Bin Saeed on 15 October 1957 in Riyadh. The club's name lasted for only one year before it was changed to its current name on 3 December 1958 by King Saud Bin Abdul-Aziz. He changed the name after he attended a tournament that was contested between the Olympic Club, Al-Shabab, Al-Riyadh and El-Kawkab clubs. As soon as the club's establishment, Al-Hilal enjoyed not only grassroots support but also royal attention.