Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = The Saudi prince shot a huge bonus for the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal players who reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, the third Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club in history.
Reuters reported on the 9th (Korean time) that Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia will give Al-Hilal players a bonus of 1 million riyals (about 345 million won) each.
This is not all the bonuses players receive.
The Saudi government decided to give each player a bonus of 500,000 riyals (about 172 million won) separately from Prince Alwaleed.
Al-Hilal players, including defender Jang Hyeon-soo from the Korean national team, are all holding a lump sum of over 500 million won.
Abdulaziz Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports of Saudi Arabia, said, “This victory is a tangible confirmation that Saudi sports have made great progress.”
Al-Hilal defeated South American champion Flamengo (Brazil) 3-2 in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup held in Morocco on the 8th and reached the final.
It is the third time that an AFC club has reached the final of this tournament, following Kashima Antlers (Japan) in 2016 and Al Ain (United Arab Emirates) in 2018.
The Saudi football world is in a mood to accept Al-Hilal’s advance to the final as a “great feat” comparable to the Saudi national team’s 2-1 victory over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 메이저놀이터
Al-Hilal’s next opponent is Real Madrid (Spain), one of the strongest clubs in the world.
Real Madrid advanced to the final by defeating Al-Ahly (Egypt) 4-1 that day.
The final is expected to be a difficult match for Al-Hilal, but the motivation seems to be clearly given.
Prince Alwaleed made a promise through social media that if Al-Hilal beat Real Madrid to win the title, he would pay an additional bonus similar to the 1 million riyal he gave him this time.
The final between Al-Hilal and Real Madrid kicks off on the 4th in the morning of the 12th at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
Jang Hyun-soo had a rare experience facing Real Madrid’s world-class stars on the highest stage possible as a player playing for an Asian club.
Jang Hyeon-soo, who contributed to winning the gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and was subject to special military service, was permanently disqualified from the national team by manipulating documents proving the contents of volunteer activities.