Six years later, we return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to Riyadh. During these years, much has changed... the country, the city, the championship, the players. Currently, transformation is daily. Crossing the capital is seeing cranes set up, the dust adjacent to a construction that will make the city more appealing, closer to modernity, and, with that, make people look at the country in a different way. Saudi Arabia is changing for the better.

With this transformation came a strong investment in sports in general, and football in particular. Major names in world football landed in this country to brighten up the championship, to provide visibility, yes, but also superior competitiveness to what the Saudi league was.

Don't think that the Saudi Arabian championship was weak in the past. It was already competitive because quality foreigners always came to local teams. However, the improvement of Saudi players is evident to those who were here six years ago. Evolution is evident, and it was seen in the Saudi national team's campaign in the last World Cup.

This time, the idea was to attract more quality players and make the championship even stronger. And with that, also bring in coaches with great credentials, who would manage the ability of the players who landed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For great teams, great coaches, and that's exactly what Al Hilal did with the hiring of a coach with a great track record in world football and extremely recognized in the Arab world.

For the less attentive, coach Jorge Jesus has an incredible reputation in the Arab world, not only for the recognition he has for the titles achieved in Portugal, Brazil, and Turkey, but also because Saudi players recognize that tactically, he can develop them. Saudi players recognize in the Portuguese coach, in general, enormous work capacity and, in this particular case, his leadership and understanding-of-the-game capacities.

Our season started with the signing of quality players and Al Hilal began to design the team from the back to the front, providing defensive security that allows the team to concede few goals and an offensive capability that allows scoring in every game. So far, we have been the best team, and with that, came the consecutive victories. With a few games left to finish the championship, Al Hilal has not yet lost. And it has not lost with great merit from the players, the coach and his coaching staff, the support from the Board, but above all, for the human and structural resources, which make it the biggest club in Asia.

Recently, the Guinness record was achieved, with 31 consecutive victories, but this group does not settle for what is written, for what is said. This group thirsts for titles, and it is for these titles that the coach puts daily demands and aims to daily feed the minds of our players and the rest of the structure so that, game by game, we can put into practice what we do in training. This group deserves to finish the season with trophies.

Life in Saudi Arabia is being built with work, dedication, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, but above all, with an indomitable spirit. Basically, like our ancestors, who sailed through turbulent seas and discovered countries, we want to make history and leave our mark, with achievements that will allow us to be remembered as successful Portuguese in the future.

Márcio Sampaio

Head of Performance at Al-Hilal