Ali Al-Bulaihi leaves Al Hilal as club close chapter on nine-year association

Al Hilal have ended their relationship with defender Ali Al-Bulaihi, bringing one of the longest-running stories involving an influential player at the club to a formal conclusion.

The Saudi club announced in the early hours of Tuesday that it had reached a contractual settlement with Al-Bulaihi. The agreement releases him from the final year of his contract and means he is officially no longer an Al Hilal player.

In a statement published on the club’s official website, Al Hilal said: “The Board of Directors of Al Hilal Club Company, headed by His Highness Prince Nawaf bin Saad, extends its thanks and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed bin Talal for covering the value of the contractual settlement with Al Hilal first-team football player Ali Al-Bulaihi.”

The statement added: “The Board of Directors expresses its profound appreciation to His Highness for his supportive positions towards Al Hilal and his contributions throughout the club’s journey at its various stages, stressing that His Highness’s initiatives represent an extension of a deep-rooted historic relationship with Al Hilal, as well as continued support for its journey and ambitions.”

Al Hilal also thanked Prince Alwaleed bin Talal for meeting the cost of the settlement, which formally brings Al-Bulaihi’s time with the Riyadh club to an end.

Al-Bulaihi joined Al Hilal in the summer of 2017 after moving from Al Fateh. He remained with the club until this summer, although the second half of last season was spent away from the squad after he joined Al Shabab on a six-month loan.

The temporary move came after Al-Bulaihi fell out of the plans of Al Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi, who did not wish to rely on the defender. The former international player was subsequently left out of Al Hilal’s pre-season camp in Austria.

He trained separately from the rest of the group during the final period of his time at the club before the contractual settlement was agreed.

Across his nine-year spell, Al-Bulaihi made 263 appearances for Al Hilal in all competitions. He scored 23 goals and helped the club win 14 trophies, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

His departure closes a significant period in the club career of a defender who had remained part of Al Hilal’s set-up since arriving from Al Fateh in 2017. Although he spent the latter part of the previous season on loan at Al Shabab, the formal settlement announced by Al Hilal confirms that his association with the club has now ended.