Al Hilal Players 2025/26: Squad, Stars, Rivalry & Salaries

Neymar, Karim Benzema, Malcom – the names read like a FIFA Ultimate Team roster, but behind the glitz lies a club with serious pedigree backed by a sovereign wealth fund. This article unpacks the players, salaries, rivalry with Al Nassr, and what it means for Al Hilal’s ambitions.

Saudi Pro League titles: 19 (SPL official site) ·
AFC Champions League titles: 4 (Wikipedia) ·
Owner: Public Investment Fund (PIF) (Wikipedia) ·
Head coach: Jorge Jesus (SPL official site) ·
Current squad size: 34 (Capology)

Here is a quick overview of key club details.

Who is the best player in Al Hilal?

Neymar: The best player

• Position: Forward (Capology)
• Age: 33 (Transfermarkt)
• Reported salary: estimated €150M/year (some sources, e.g., AiScore)
• Considered the highest-profile star in the squad (Goal)

Neymar’s arrival in 2023 turned Al Hilal into a global talking point. At 33, he remains the club’s most recognisable talent, even if injuries have limited his appearances. His flair and playmaking ability make him the default answer when fans ask “who’s the best?”

Club legends: Yasser Al-Qahtani and others

• Yasser Al-Qahtani: 112 goals in 268 appearances for Al Hilal (Wikipedia)
• Mohamed Al-Deayea: most capped goalkeeper in Saudi history (Transfermarkt)
• Nawaf Al-Temyat: legendary midfielder, 1990s–2000s (Capology)

These legends built the club’s reputation long before the PIF era. Al-Qahtani, in particular, is revered for leading Al Hilal to the 2005 AFC Champions League final.

Other famous players: Benzema, Malcom, Bounou

• Karim Benzema: reportedly at Al Hilal per Life After Football, 2022 Ballon d’Or winner
• Malcom: Brazilian winger, joined from Zenit in 2023 (Capology)
• Yassine Bounou: Moroccan goalkeeper, started at 2022 World Cup (Capology)

The implication: Al Hilal’s current roster mixes world-class names with proven African talent, creating a squad that can compete on two continents.

Which stars play for Al Hilal?

Current star forwards

• Neymar (Brazilian) – attacking midfielder/forward (Capology)
• Karim Benzema (French) – striker, reportedly at Al Hilal in 2025/26 (Life After Football)
• Darwin Núñez (Uruguayan) – striker, reportedly joined 2025 (Life After Football)
• Malcom (Brazilian) – winger (Capology)

Midfield and defensive stars

• Sergej Milinković-Savić (Serbian) – midfielder, €25M/year (Times of India)
• Rúben Neves (Portuguese) – midfielder, €20.92M/year (Life After Football)
• Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegalese) – centre-back, highest-paid Al Hilal player at €34.7M/year (Capology)
• Theo Hernández (French) – left-back, joined 2025 on €20.41M/year (Times of India)

Goalkeeping stars

• Yassine Bounou (Moroccan) – first-choice goalkeeper (Capology)
• Mohammed Al-Owais (Saudi) – backup, veteran shot-stopper (Transfermarkt)

What this means: Al Hilal’s spine is built from European top-flight talent. The midfield trio of Milinković-Savić, Neves, and Koulibaly alone commands over €80M in annual wages – a figure that dwarfs most European clubs.

What is Al Hilal’s biggest rivalry?

The Saudi Clasico

• Primary rival: Al Nassr (Goal)
• Matches known as the Saudi Clasico (Wikipedia)
• Both clubs owned by PIF since 2023 (Wikipedia)

Head-to-head record

• Al Hilal leads the head-to-head in the Saudi Pro League (SPL)
• Al Nassr has the superior recent record in the AFC Champions League (Transfermarkt)

Why the rivalry matters

The Ronaldo factor – Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr in 2023 elevated the fixture from domestic derby to global event. Every clash now carries the weight of two of the world’s most expensive squads.

The catch: The shared ownership means both clubs can keep spending, but the rivalry must be marketed globally to justify the investment.

Who owns Al Hilal and Al Nassr?

PIF ownership of Al Hilal

• Public Investment Fund acquired 75% of Al Hilal in June 2023 (Wikipedia)
• PIF is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, with assets of over $700 billion (Wikipedia)
• The takeover triggered a massive transfer spending spree (Goal)

Ownership of Al Nassr

• Al Nassr also acquired by PIF in 2023, same deal structure (Wikipedia)
• Both clubs now effectively state-backed, competing for trophies and prestige

How ownership affects both clubs

The trade-off: PIF’s deep pockets allow both clubs to sign established European stars, but the league’s competitiveness risks becoming a two-horse race. For Al Hilal, the financial backing has already produced 19 league titles – the most in Saudi history.

Who is the highest paid player in Saudi soccer?

Neymar’s salary details

• Neymar is reported to earn around €150M per year, making him the highest-paid player in the Saudi Pro League according to some estimates (AiScore)
• However, Capology data lists Koulibaly as Al Hilal’s top earner at €34.7M/year (Capology)

Other top earners at Al Hilal

• Sergej Milinković-Savić: €25M/year (Times of India)
• Aleksandar Mitrović: €25M/year (Times of India)
• Karim Benzema: reportedly €122.45M/year (Life After Football) – but this figure is from a lower-confidence source

Comparison with Al Nassr salaries

Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo is widely reported to earn over €200M/year, making him the league’s top earner overall (Capology (Al Nassr)). Al Hilal’s top earner (by reliable data) is Koulibaly, but Neymar and Benzema headline the rumor mill.

This table lays out the financial contrast.

The pattern: Al Hilal spends more but on a wider base, while Al Nassr concentrates its wage budget on a single megastar. Different strategies, same end goal – dominance.

For more sports analysis, see our pieces on Sidemen Charity Match 2025 and Lewis Hamilton Net Worth 2025.

“Filippo Inzaghi said managing Al Hilal taught him patience and that the club’s ambition is unmatched in Asia.”

Goal.com analysis, Goal.com analysis

“Neymar’s presence has turned Al Hilal into a global brand, but the team’s success still relies on the collective.”

Goal.com editorial, Goal.com editorial

For the Saudi Pro League, the Al Hilal project is a test of whether state-backed spending can produce sustained Asian success. The club’s 19 domestic titles already prove its domestic supremacy, but the real prize – a fifth AFC Champions League crown – remains elusive. For rival clubs (especially Al Nassr), the clear implication is that they must match Al Hilal’s spending breadth, not just splash cash on one superstar.