Saudi billionaire promises Al Hilal millions if they win Fifa Club World Cup
Real Madrid's players celebrate their third goal during the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final football match between Egypt's Al-Ahly and Spain's Real Madrid at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on February 8, 2023.
What you need to know:
- The European champions will now meet a motivated Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia, which surprised the competition's second favourites in the frame of Brazil's Flamengo 3-2 in the other semi-final played in Tangier on Tuesday night.
- The Asian champions successes in this tournament, including Saturday's round two 3-2 win over hosts Wydad Casablanca in Rabat, were handsomely rewarded when Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal rewarded each player with a one million riyals (about Sh33 million) bonus on Thursday.
In Casablanca, Morocco
Real Madrid are favourites to win an unprecedented fifth Fifa Club World Cup title after storming the tournament's final courtesy of a classy performance and 4-1 win over Egypt's Al Ahly in Rabat on Wednesday night.
The European champions will now meet a motivated Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia, which surprised the competition's second favourites in the frame of Brazil's Flamengo 3-2 in the other semi-final played in Tangier on Tuesday night.
The Asian champions successes in this tournament, including Saturday's round two 3-2 win over hosts Wydad Casablanca in Rabat, were handsomely rewarded when Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal rewarded each player with a one million riyals (about Sh33 million) bonus on Thursday.
Prince Alwaleed, chairman of the Kingdom Holding Co, is a big supporter of the Saudi club and announced on social media he will also gift the players, who include African stars Odeon Ighalo and Moussa Marega, a similar amount if they beat Real Madrid in Saturday's finale.
Despite the incentives, beating Real, the 14-time European champions, will not be easy.
In freezing conditions at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Morocco's political capital, Madrid swept aside any resistance the African giants had to offer, and in style.
In a game that highlighted an African versus Europe football battle, the Red Devils resistance lasted 44 minutes before Brazilian ace Viniscus Junior capitalised on a defensive lapse to easily score the opener.
Ahly gave everything after the break, but Madrid oozed class without necessarily engaging third gear.
The Los Blancos passing was more fluid, dribbling more artistic, and tempo far better with Luka Modric, Federico Valverde, David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga particularly standing out at the 52,000 seater arena that was filled to the brim.
With Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti pacing on the touchline, Madrid could even afford to miss a penalty awarded by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) against an Ahly side that lacked composure and decision making in critical times.
In a nutshell, this game was a classic theatre, with hosts Morocco, providing top-notch security via hundreds of uniformed and non uniformed detail, entertainment from popular local musicians, a well trimmed pitch, entertaining stadium announcer to the thousands of fans who'd travelled from Madrid, and all over North and sub-saharan Africa for this contest.
Morocco will find out on Friday if her bid to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is successful and the country is also in the frame to stage the 2030 Fifa World Cup.
Flamengo will, meanwhile, meet Al Ahly in the third and fourth play-off on Saturday.
Ahly beat Australia's Auckland City 3-0, and MLS side Seattle Sounders 1-0, in the earlier stages of this tournament.
