The draw for the 2025 Club World Cup has set the stage for an intense showdown, with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal facing Spain’s Real Madrid in Group H of the tournament.
The 2025 Club World Cup will be held in its new expanded format, featuring 32 teams, from June 15 to July 13. Al Hilal’s group includes European giants Real Madrid, the historic Champions League winner, as well as Austria’s RB Salzburg and Mexico’s Pachuca, setting the stage for a thrilling series of matches.
El Clasico memories
Al Hilal fans are hopeful of making a strong impression at the 2025 Club World Cup, but they face a formidable challenge in the form of Real Madrid, a club with an illustrious history in international tournaments. However, Al Hilal is well-equipped with its foreign stars, including Brazil’s all-time top scorer Neymar, who brings with him a wealth of experience from his past encounters with Real Madrid. Fans are eager to see if Neymar can create new memories while taking on the Spanish giants in this exciting clash.
Neymar(32 years old), has a wealth of experience playing against Real Madrid, having faced them multiple times with both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Over 12 encounters, Neymar scored 3 goals and provided 7 assists, contributing to 5 victories, 2 draws, and 5 losses. His most notable performances came in the El Clasico while at Barcelona, where he won 4 times, lost 3 times, and drew once, scoring 3 goals and assisting 5 in both La Liga and the King’s Cup. Additionally, Neymar played 4 matches against Madrid with PSG in the Champions League, winning once, drawing once, losing twice, and providing 2 assists. This experience will be crucial as he looks to help Al Hilal take on the mighty Real Madrid in the upcoming tournament.
Neymar with Al Hilal
Neymar joined Al Hilal at the beginning of last season, but he only participated in 5 matches, during which he scored a goal and provided 3 assists.
The reason for Neymar’s absence from Al Hilal in the first season was that he suffered a cruciate ligament injury while participating with the Brazilian national team in the World Cup qualifiers in October 2023.
After more than a year, the Brazilian legend returned to participate with Al Hilal as a substitute in two matches during the current version of the Asian Elite League, before suffering a muscle injury, which caused him to be absent again.
The Brazilian star’s contract is scheduled to end next summer, but there are many reports indicating that “Al-Zaeem” will renew his contract for one season in order to benefit from him in the Club World Cup.
