Despite Al-Ittihad’s stumble in the ‘Coastal Derby’, the team captained by Karim Benzema is the favorite to win the league. With the Frenchman’s last-gasp goal to level the score at two against Al-Ahli, Laurent Blanc’s side are top of the table, five points clear of Al-Hilal.
The podium is completed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. The Portuguese scored two goals against Al-Hilal to pick up points and stay eight points off the top.
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In search of the tenth
After this ‘big week’ in the Saudi Pro League, the championship is tighter than ever. Benzema, Kante, Fabinho and company have won only one of their last five matches in the domestic competition, but they are on track to win the league and King’s Cup double. The Tigers will face the surprise package of Saudi Arabian soccer, Al-Qadsiah, coached by Michel and Nacho, in the final of the cup competition. Their participation in next season’s Asian Champions League seems assured, but they want more. They are looking for their tenth league title in their almost 100-year history.
The oldest club in LaLiga
In the Saudi League’s roll of honor, Al-Ittihad is the second most successful club with nine titles. It is still a long way behind Al-Hilal (19), but it is looking to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, with whom it is tied in this respect. But the Jeddah club does hold an unbeatable record, as it is the oldest team in the country. The Saudi League’s oldest club was founded in 1927 (98 years ago), making it the only team in the Arabian Gulf to enter the ‘Club Of Pioneers’.
This club was created by the oldest team in the world, Sheffield FC, in 2013. The initiative started with 26 entities that were true pioneers in football in their countries. Al-Ittihad was added to this exclusive list along with other historic clubs such as Recreativo de Huelva, Genoa and BFC Germania 1888 (all the oldest clubs in their respective countries).
Asia’s history
Throughout their history, the Jeddah side have won nine King’s Cups and nine League titles. They are also the only team on the continent to have won two consecutive Asian Champions League titles (2004 and 2005) since the competition was restructured in 2002
One of the highlights of their history came with their participation in the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup. In that edition, they defeated Al-Ahly of Egypt by the narrowest of margins in the quarter-finals. Their adventure ended with two more defeats: one against Sao Paulo FC (who would go on to win the competition) and another against Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica.
Benzema is already a legend in Jeddah
The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner arrived from the Santiago Bernabeu for 25 million euros. He signed for the Tigers to be their star and captain, and has performed well from the start. The former Real Madrid player is already among the top 10 scorers in the club’s history, ranking ninth with 32 goals. He is still a long way from the 93 goals scored by Romarinho in the six years he played for the Tigers, but the Lyon native continues to score goals. He is just five goals away from eighth place, occupied by Brazilian Serginho.
