Al-Hilal and Al-Bulaihi: a final chapter ends with an official settlement

The end of a story that lasted 9 years

Al-Hilal have closed the book on one of their most influential players, ending a nine-year association with defender Ali Al-Bulaihi.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the club used their account on the "X" platform to announce a contractual settlement with Al-Bulaihi. The move takes the player officially out of the ranks of "the Blues", despite one season remaining on his contract.

Al-Hilal wrote in an official statement on their official website: "The board of directors of Al-Hilal Club Company, headed by His Highness Prince Nawaf bin Saad, extended their thanks and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, for covering the value of the contractual settlement with Al-Hilal first football team player Ali Al-Bulaihi."

It added: "The board of directors expressed their deep appreciation to His Highness for his supportive stances towards Al-Hilal, and his extended contributions to the club's journey through its various stages, affirming that His Highness's initiatives represent an extension of a firmly established historical relationship with Al-Hilal, and continuous support for its journey and aspirations."

Al-Bulaihi arrived from Al-Fateh in the summer of 2017 and stayed with the team until this summer. He spent the second half of last season on a six-month loan at Al-Shabab.

That loan followed his fall from favour under Italian boss Simone Inzaghi, who no longer wanted to rely on him.

Al-Hilal had left the former international out of their preparatory camp in Austria, and he trained individually away from the group in the recent period.

Across his time at Al-Hilal, Al-Bulaihi featured in 263 matches in various competitions, scored 23 goals and helped the club to 14 titles, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

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