Al-Hilal captain and ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ international Osama Hawsawi made a surprise revelation at the end of the final game of the season by admitting that he would be leaving the Saudi Pro League champions at the end of the season.
The central defender, who has played 131 matches for his country, moved back to Al-Hilal in 2016 after the club paid SR 21 million ($5.5 million) to rivals Al-Ahli and won two consecutive league titles and the 2017 King’s Cup in his second spell at the Riyadh giants. But the defender appeared to have played his last game for Al-Za'eem in the title-clinching 4-1 win over Al-Fateh.
“There’s nothing (on offer) at the moment, but you can say it’s almost finished with Al-Hilal, it was my final season," he said. "The agreement was for two seasons and two years only.â€
Hawsawi goes out on a high after inspiring Al-Hilal to a 15th league title, but the campaign has not been an easy one. Their manager Ramon Diaz was sacked in February, they crashed out of the Asian Champions League at the group stage and suffered a shock defeat to Al Quadisiya in the King's Cup.
"It was a tough league campaign," Hawasawi told Al-Arabiya TV. "We have gone through difficult circumstances this season, starting with the AFC Champions League and the change of coach, but what makes you know that Al Hilal is a big team, even with the difficulties and everything else, we won the league.
"You saw in the middle of the season, for most of the players, their levels dropped and the fans were not satisfied, as they see you as an important player and leader and expect from you a certain level of performance and if that level drops, the fans would not be satisfied.â€
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ defender Osama Hawsawi says he's 'almost finished' with Al-Hilal after title win
Updated 13 April 2018