FAST DOWNLOAD
The Senegal international joined the Blues in the summer of 2022, earmarked by Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea entered an era of Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership. But like most of his team-mates that season Koulibaly flattered to deceive, and at the age of 32 was shipped out to Al-Hilal due to a lack of other suitors. And while that transfer certainly aided Chelsea’s finances, with €25 million (£21m/$27m) recouped, the centre-back has revealed that the move has been a good fit for him, too.
Speaking to Spanish outlet AS, Koulibaly said: “I have found happiness again on and off the field. At Chelsea things were not as I expected, I was not used to not playing. When the offer came, I understood that it could be the right decision. And it was like this: I am delighted and the championship, with the signings, it is growing. People underestimate the level of the Saudis. Many thought that we came here on vacation and they found out that this is not the case. We have 27 consecutive victories and we will not stop until we win titles.”
As his comments allude to, Koulibaly has certainly adapted to life in the Middle East. The veteran defender has played the full 90 minutes in 20 of Al-Hilal’s 23 league games, popping up with two goals and an assist in the process. Starring alongside a host of stars who used to ply their trade in Europe, such as Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandr Mitrovic and, of course, the injured Neymar, Koulibaly has helped Hilal to top the Saudi Pro League by a whopping 12 points.
There was no let up for the league leaders as they defeated Al-Riyadh 3-1 in their last match on Friday, pulling even further away from Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in second. As Koulibaly mentions, Al-Hilal boast a 27-game winning streak across all competitions, dating back to a 1-1 draw with Damac on September 21. One more win will result in a world record streak for the Saudi outfit.
Al-Hilal host Damac next on March 16, but before that they face Al-Ittihad in the second leg of their AFC Champions League quarter-finals, where they hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg. Koulibably will reunite with former Chelsea team-mate N’Golo Kante in that clash.
