Sergej Milinkovic-Savic hit back at detractors of Saudi Arabian football following Al Hilal‘s stunning upset against Manchester City in the FIFA Club World Cup by declaring: “Let’s see if they criticize us now.”
Milinkovic-Savic is one of a number of players to leave Europe to move to the Saudi Pro League since it received increased investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Many have been accused of choosing money over ambition to play at the highest level. But after Al Hilal’s surprising 4-3 win over City in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, Milinkovic-Savic responded to the criticism.
“Let’s see now if they will criticize us,” the Serbia midfielder, who left Lazio in 2023, said.
“We showed them it’s not like they are speaking about the league. We show against Real Madrid, Salzburg, Pachuca and tonight. I hope we will continue to show it.”
Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi has also made the move from Europe after leaving Inter Milan following their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Inzaghi has had just weeks with his new players after he arrived just before the Club World Cup but still managed to mastermind a historic victory.
“The key of this result are the players, the heart they put on the pitch,” Inzaghi said.
“Tonight we had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are, we knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, and we were great.
“[Pep] Guardiola is the best coach in the world, but tonight we did our best and we deserved the result.”
