Al Hilal Abderrazzaq Hamdallah is a name that needs no introduction in the Saudi Pro League and Asian football. His goal scoring prowess and presence on the pitch have always been a talking point. But when he was signed as an “emergency signing” for Al Hilal during the Club World Cup, football fans expected him to do something big. What happened, however, was completely different. A star player, a big stage, and just 15 minutes of play.
The story of this brief but famous innings is the beginning of a unique and surprising football journey in 10 key points below:
Emergency signing in FIFA’s special window
Abderrazzaq Hamdallah was brought in on loan from Al-Shabab within the special window opened between June 27 and July 3, specifically for teams playing in the FIFA Club World Cup.
15 minutes of a bad debut
Against Fluminense, he made a pasting 15-minute run in which he hardly contributed very much.
Past-match contributions weren’t above average
He held onto the ball 7 times, saw 3 successful passes from 4 attempted, 1 successful dribble, and 1 assist; however, the ratings were very much average.
High hopes turned into shambles
Hamadhallah was called to strengthen Al Hilal’s attacking force, but the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals, leaving Hamdallah’s innings unceremoniously.
Farewell to Al-Hilal and on to the Club World Cup
Abderrazzaq Hamdallah bid farewell to Al Hilal and returned to his parent club, Al Shabab, after the defeat to Fluminense.
The numbers tell a different story
Hamdallah has lived up to his illustrious reputation: In 223 matches, he has scored 199 goals and made 38 assists involving 237 goals directly.
A big name in the Saudi Pro League
He has been the league’s leading goal scorer on three occasions and is the all-time leading goal scorer of the King’s Cup and third highest scorer in the 21st century.
Some controversies in the backdrop
Playing him into a fight with an upset fan after the loss in the 2024 Saudi Super Cup final at Al-Ittihad and throwing water over him was also news.
SofaScore rated him an average
Hamdallah received a 6.9 from SofaScore for his performance against Fluminense, a rating which was very average: not too bad, not too good.
High hopes, less time
His fast forward journey with Al Hilal started fast and ended fast. Buzz on the transfer store, but ally with poor performances.
Conclusion
For any experienced player and scoring machine named Abderrazak Hamdallah, only 15 minutes of his innings provided an even more uniquely lustrous storyline in his already fabulous career. Expectations were sky-high, but soon time and fate went against him.
October 9, 2025