Al-Hilal breaks world record for consecutive wins

The Al-Hilal football team defeated Al-Ittihad in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League, secured their spot, and engraved their name in football history.

Under the guidance of Jorge Jesus, the squad achieved an incredible milestone of 28 consecutive victories, surpassing the previous record held by The New Saints from Wales, who won 27 games in a row in 2016.

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Al-Hilal in the Guinness Book

The first of the 28 consecutive victories occurred on 25/09/2023 when they defeated Al-Jabalain 1-0 away from home in the Saudi Championship. Throughout this streak, Neymar, the team’s star player and Saudi Arabia’s most expensive signing, only participated in the first 3 matches before suffering a knee injury, with an estimated return slated for September 2024.

During this victorious run, Al-Hilal averaged 2.9 goals per game, scoring a total of 81 goals. The standout player driving this achievement was Mitrovic. The Serbian forward is the top scorer for Al-Hilal this season with 31 goals, contributing 26 during the winning streak.

Photo: GettyImages

The team delivered some massive victories along the way, boosting their goal average. Their biggest win was against Al-Hazem, defeating them 9-0 away from home in November 2023 in the Saudi Championship. As hosts, Al-Hilal won 7-0 and 6-0 against Abha and Mumbai City, respectively.

Solid defense also played a crucial role in their Guinness World Record, conceding only 8 goals, averaging one every three and a half games. Goalkeepers Bono and Al-Owais kept clean sheets in 20 matches.

Photo: Reproduction

Investment in Saudi Football and Al-Hilal

Saudi Arabia’s investments in football are part of a larger government project to change the country’s image, known as “Vision 2030,” encompassing not just sports but also entertainment.

In Saudi Arabia, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) serves as the primary reservoir of the country’s sovereign wealth. Through the Ministry of Sports, this fund allocates resources to sports clubs.

While club officials and businessmen make investments independently, it’s important to note that many of them are also tied to PIF investments in their ventures, often with connections to the current Saudi regime. Despite these injections of funds, the sports league still faces significant financial disparities.

Initially fueled by oil revenues, the sovereign wealth fund’s financing was underpinned by the country’s main export product. However, under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, there’s been a continuous push for economic diversification.

The PIF’s portfolio has expanded to include investments in various sectors such as infrastructure, energy, and pharmaceuticals, among others.

Under the prince’s direction, the PIF has evolved from a passive sovereign wealth fund into a global investment vehicle. Its investments include multi-billion-dollar stakes in technology companies like Uber, alongside other capital opportunities.

Since June 2023, the Public Investment Fund has taken control of the four major clubs in the local league: Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad, both based in the capital Riyadh, and Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, located in Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea coast.

The PIF owns 75% of the capital of these clubs. Additionally, the fund acquired an 80% stake in Newcastle in October 2021 and is also the sponsor of the African Super League.

The selection of these four clubs to receive the largest investments has caused resentment among fans of other teams, such as Al-Shabab, which was not chosen by the sovereign fund. On social media, there have been expressions of dissatisfaction with this decision.

The distribution of income among the four major teams, including the percentages and amounts involved, is still not entirely transparent, as the country does not disclose precise details about investments.

Other clubs, besides these four, remain linked to the Ministry of Sports and receive financial support from the state, albeit in a less direct manner and with smaller percentages.

Thus, driven by substantial investment in Saudi football, Al-Hilal made several high-profile signings, bringing in stars from around the world. They spent €376.1 million (R$ 2 billion) on reinforcements, including Brazilians Neymar, Malcom, and Renan Lodi, Portuguese Rúben Neves, Serbians Mitrovic and Milinkovic-Savic, Senegalese Koulibaly, and Moroccan Bono.

Al-Hilal was the third-highest spending club on transfers in the world in 2023/24, behind only Chelsea (R$ 2.5 billion) and Paris Saint-Germain (R$ 2.1 billion).

Photo: AlHilal Saudi Club/Getty Images

The 28 consecutive victories of Al-Hilal in 2023 and 2024:

1. 25/09/2023 – Al-Jabalain 0 x 1 Al Hilal – Saudi Championship
2. 29/09/2023 – Al Hilal 2 x 0 Al-Shabab – King’s Cup Round of 32
3. 03/10/2023 – Nassaji Mazandaran 0 x 3 Al Hilal – AFC Champions League
4. 07/10/2023 – Al-Akhdoud 0 x 3 Al Hilal – Saudi Championship
5. 20/10/2023 – Al Hilal 1 x 0 Al-Khaleej – Saudi Championship
6. 23/10/2023 – Al Hilal 6 x 0 Mumbai City – AFC Champions League
7. 27/10/2023 – Al Hilal 3 x 1 Al-Ahli – Saudi Championship
8. 30/10/2023 – Al Hilal 3 x 0 Al-Hazem – King’s Cup Round of 16
9. 03/11/2023 – Al-Fateh 0 x 2 Al Hilal – Saudi Championship
10. 06/11/2023 – Mumbai City 0 x 2 Al Hilal – AFC Champions League
11. 10/11/2023 – Al Hilal 2 x 0 Al-Taawon – Saudi Championship
12. 25/11/2023 – Al-Hazem 0 x 9 Al Hilal – Saudi Championship
13. 28/11/2023 – Navbahor 0 x 2 Al Hilal – AFC Champions League
14. 01/12/2023 – Al Hilal 3 x 0 Al-Nassr – Saudi Championship
15. 04/12/2023 – Al Hilal 2 x 1 Nassaji Mazandaran – AFC Champions League
16. 08/12/2023 – Al-Tai 1 x 2 Al Hilal – Saudi Championship
17. 11/12/2023 – Al Hilal 3 x 0 Al-Taawon – King’s Cup Quarterfinals
18. 15/12/2023 – Al Hilal 2 x 0 Al-Wehda – Saudi Championship
19. 21/12/2023 – Al Hilal 7 x 0 Abha – Saudi Championship
20. 29/12/2023 – Al-Fayha 0 x 2 Al Hilal – Saudi Championship
21. 15/02/2024 – Sepahan 1 x 3 Al Hilal – AFC Champions League Round of 16
22. 18/02/2024 – Al Hilal 3 x 1 Al-Raed – Saudi Championship
23. 22/02/2024 – Al Hilal 3 x 1 Sepahan – AFC Champions League Round of 16
24. 26/02/2024 – Al-Ettifaq 0 x 2 Al Hilal – Saudi Championship
25. 01/03/2024 – Al Hilal 3 x 1 Al-Ittihad – Saudi Championship
26. 05/03/2024 – Al Hilal 2 x 0 Al-Ittihad – AFC Champions League Quarterfinals
27. 08/03/2024 – Al-Riyadh 1 x 3 Al Hilal – Saudi Championship
28. 12/03/2024 – Al-Ittihad 0 x 2 Al Hilal – AFC Champions League Quarterfinals

Check out the longest winning streaks in football:

• 28 wins: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) in 2023/2024 (to date)
• 27 wins: The New Saints (Wales) in 2016
• 26 wins: Ajax (Netherlands) in 1971/1972
• 25 wins: Ajax (Netherlands) in 1995
• 24 wins: Coritiba (Brazil) in 2011
• 23 wins: Bayern Munich (Germany) in 2020
• 22 wins: Real Madrid (Spain) in 2014
• 21 wins: Manchester City (England) in 2020/2021 20 wins: Rangers (Scotland) in 2013

 

Written by Henry Miller.