Al Hilal star Renan Lodi defended himself and his teammates from criticism regarding their move to the Saudi League solely for the money, pointing to the Blue Wave’s historic victory over Manchester City in the Club World Cup.
Al Hilal rained four goals against Pep Guardiola’s side in the Round of 16, eliminating the English club in one of the biggest upsets of the competition, as City were the only team to achieve a perfect record in the group stage.
After the match, Lodi said, “Many people said we came to Saudi Arabia just to make money, and that’s not true. We were subjected to unfair criticism.”
He added, “We took the money and now we’ve beaten them! We’ve shown everyone how good Al Hilal is and how capable we are of competing against any opponent, regardless of their name.”
He concluded, “Everyone is attacking the Saudi League, but today we are proving that Al Hilal participated in the Club World Cup to reach the farthest point possible in this tournament.”
Lodi’s statements come days after Cristiano Ronaldo’s assertion that the Saudi League is one of the top five leagues in the world and that the criticism and belittlement it faces are unrelated to the truth.
Al Hilal became the first Arab and Asian team to defeat a European team in the history of the Club World Cup.
Al Hilal will face a tough match against Fluminense in the quarterfinals, after the Brazilian club pulled off a major upset by eliminating Inter Milan in the round of 16.
