‘Al-Hilal have broken all the records possible’: Jorge Jesus and Yassine Bounou celebrate SPL Manager and Goalkeeper of the Season awards

RIYADH: Al-Hilal duo Jorge Jesus and Yassine Bounou have spoken of their pride at receiving the Roshn Saudi League 2023/24 Manager and Goalkeeper of the Season awards.

An incredible campaign for Al-Hilal saw the Riyadh club claim an invincible title after winning 31 out of 34 league matches.

Jesus’ men also created football history, and global headlines, by setting a world, top-flight record for the number of successive victories — winning 34 games in a row across all competitions between September and April.

Appointed last summer for his second stint in charge of Al-Hilal, Jesus said: “It was a fantastic season. When I arrived in Saudi Arabia, I was thinking that we could be champions of the league, but not breaking all those records. Beyond being champions, we broke so many records — most goals scored, most wins, best defense, biggest points difference with the second-ranked team. In Saudi football history, Al-Hilal have broken all the records possible.

“I am very proud of my players, they have so much quality. We made a very strong group; beyond the technical ability, they first thought about the team. This made the successes appear more easily.”

The spine of Al-Hilal’s team was a major factor in their success over the season. At the base, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, the Moroccan World Cup hero signed from Sevilla in the summer, was a constant reassuring presence. By earning 15 clean sheets and conceding the least number of goals, 20, Bounou was a deserved winner of the Roshn Saudi League 2023-24 Goalkeeper of the Season award. He played in 31 of Al-Hilal’s 34 league matches during the season.

Bounou said: “I’m really pleased to win the award. We had a very, very good season. And it was a very good experience for me too. I’m very happy. I think all the saves I have made are important. After that, I think it’s thanks to the whole team, to all the people who work around me. It’s really a group effort.

“It’s a great pleasure to be goalkeeper of the season. It’s not always easy to be consistent in football. This year, more or less, I’ve been able to find that consistency and now, as I said, I’m really pleased and it’s mainly thanks to those around me.”

Edouard Mendy, the Al-Ahli goalkeeper who also achieved 15 clean sheets, conceding 33 goals in the league season from the same number of games, ran Bounou very close for the award.

Speaking about the quality of the goalkeepers in the league, Bounou said: “It’s clear there are some very good goalkeepers out there. This year, Edouard showed that he was a top goalkeeper, a very great goalkeeper. He confirmed that throughout the season.”

Al-Hilal’s Guinness World Record, run between September and April, made news across the globe. Winning 28 games in a row — which was then increased to 34 — overtook Welsh club The News Saints’ run of 27 wins achieved in season 2016-17. Prior to that, the record stood for 44 years after Dutch giants Ajax’s 26-game winning streak between 1971 and 1972.

“At the beginning of the season, we weren’t thinking about it. It happened naturally,” Jesus said. “We were then told about this Guinness World Record — and then told that we could break this record of 27 consecutive wins. It was a motivation that we transmitted to the players, and they loved the idea. It was one of the keys to our success this season. Not only the Guinness World Record but the motivation, the objective of winning more than 27 consecutive matches. And we did more than 27, we won 34 consecutive matches.”

Asked if there was one specific match that stood out across the season, Jesus elected for a game before the winning run — the 4-3 victory in Jeddah over Al-Ittihad on Sept. 1 aided by Aleksandar Mitrovic’s hat-trick.

Jesus said: “Yes, there are always some games that make the difference during the season. The game which launched us on our path was the one against Al-Ittihad. Our 4-3 victory gave us huge confidence to keep believing in our objectives in the process of our training, and in the process of our games. And then, the objective of the Guinness World Record: ‘You have to keep winning, you have to keep winning.’ That put the players in a winning mentality. It was one of the key points for the team.”

Jesus previously managed Al-Hilal in season 2018-19, where he guided the club to Saudi Super Cup success. In between his two stints, Jesus also managed Flamengo in Brazil and Fenerbahce in Turkiye. He won trophies at both, much to the delight of each team’s supporters, and his triumphs at Al-Hilal have resulted in similar adoration from the club’s legions of followers.

Jesus said: “Coming from Flamengo, where 70,000 fans in every game were yelling for me — and coming from Turkiye, same thing, 50,000 fans, yelling my name in every game. So, I was used to this during my first year in Al-Hilal — ‘I love you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus.’ This is a mark of affection, and this is very important for me to feel that the fans love me.”

The 2023-24 campaign was a game-changing season for the Roshn Saudi League. It began with major internationals signings, such as Bounou joining the likes of Neymar, Ruben Neves and Mitrovic at Al-Hilal, with players such as Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, N’Golo Kante and Georgino Wijnaldum joining other clubs. Some 156 players from 54 countries provided a crucial part of the game-changing Roshn Saudi League season.

Jesus said: “During my first stay in Al-Hilal, there was not such a quality of great players coming from Europe like now. Today, the Roshn Saudi League has a very high level, it is a top five league for me. Year after year, more great players will come to the league, and great managers will come as well. It will become a league that is very tough to win.”