The End of the “Old Guard”: Mohammed Al-Breik Departs Al-Hilal

In a significant move just hours before the Saudi football summer transfer window closed, veteran defender Mohammed Al-Breik has bid farewell to Al-Hilal, signaling the continuation of coach Jorge Jesus’s strategy to renew the squad by parting ways with the “old guards.”

Al-Hilal has long relied on a core group of experienced players who contributed to the club’s many achievements in recent years. However, under Jesus’s “revolution,” several key players, including Muteb Al-Mufarrij, Salman Al-Faraj, Saleh Al-Shehri, and Mohammed Jahfali, have found themselves surplus to requirements
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Now, Al-Breik, widely regarded as one of the finest full-backs in Al-Hilal’s storied history, has also been released from the squad. The 31-year-old quickly secured a move to Neom FC, signing a three-year contract with the new club.

Al-Breik’s journey at Al-Hilal began at the youth level, progressing through every stage before breaking into the first team. He also had a loan spell at Al-Raed before securing a regular spot with “Al-Za’eem” (The Leader) in 2015.

During his time with Al-Hilal, Al-Breik won the Professional League six times, the AFC Champions League twice, the King’s Cup four times, the Crown Prince Cup once, and the Super Cup three times. He was also part of the squad that finished as runners-up in the FIFA Club World Cup last season.

In total, Al-Breik made 286 appearances for Al-Hilal, scoring 12 goals and providing 57 assists.

In a separate development, the Saudi league champions strengthened their attack by signing Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo from Benfica.

Al-Hilal announced on “X” that “the talented Marcos Leonardo is a Hilali,” adding that “Leonardo will wear the Al-Hilal jersey for five years, until 2029.”

The 21-year-old Brazilian striker joins left-back Muteb Al-Harbi who was signed from Al-Shabab in a deal estimated at around 30 million euros, and Portuguese full-back João Cancelo, who joined last Friday from Manchester City, the English champions, in a deal estimated at 25 million euros to replace Saud Abdulhamid, who moved to AS Roma.

Leonardo departs Benfica after less than a year since joining from Santos on a contract that was supposed to last five and a half years. He scored seven goals in 14 matches during the second half of the Portuguese league last season and started the current season with one goal in three matches.

Al-Hilal has begun the new season on a high note, winning the local Super Cup by defeating rivals Al-Nassr 4-1 in the final, followed by victories in the first two league rounds against Al-Akhdoud (3-0) and Damac (3-2), with four goals coming from Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović.