Simone Inzaghi reveals 'big sympathy' for Saudi football as he completes lucrative Al-Hilal switch with Italian coach set for debut showdown against Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid

The move will see the former Inter coach manage the Saudi-based outfit until June 2027. According to a report by journalist Fabrizio Romano, the deal was done by agents Federico Pastorello, Tommaso Inzaghi and Luca Bascherini.

Inzaghi was reportedly Saudi-bound even before his side's humiliation in the Champions League final, with media suggesting he was in talks over a lucrative deal. Inter lost the final 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in a heart-breaking end to the season as the Nerazzurri missed out on a treble of trophies. It is his second loss in a Champions League final, having gone through the same in 2023 as they lost to Manchester City. Following that defeat, the manager resigned from his role and chose Al-Hilal as his new challenge.

After completing the formalities, Inzaghi said: “My desire had always been to be able to go and coach abroad as well as in Italy and for me Al-Hilal is a great opportunity in my career. Al-Hilal is a club I know because I follow Arab football. We have been to play here in Saudi Arabia with both Lazio and Inter, so it is a championship that made me follow them, and I have always followed Al-Hilal with big sympathy because they have Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, whom I have coached before at Lazio, and I am happy to have found him at the club.”

Inzaghi’s debut as the Al-Hilal manager will be against Real Madrid on June 18, in the Club World Cup.