Nigerian international Odion Ighalo and his Al Hilal teammates can now smile brighter after receiving $266,500 in bonuses from Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman for reaching the FIFA Club World Cup final.
Former Watford FC player who helped the Saudi Arabian club defeat Flamengo in the Club World Cup semifinals would receive approximately 122,715,255 in Nigerian currency.
Despite the fact that the Super Eagles striker was unable to score in the five-goal thriller, his team still defeated the Brazilians 3 to 2.
Salem Al Dawsari’s two penalties and a close-range goal from Luciano Vietto helped Al Hilal defeat Flamengo in the second half, despite Flamengo being reduced to 10 men due to midfielder Gerson’s dismissal in first-half stoppage time.
Following the victory, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal awarded one million riyals to each Al Hilal player.
Saudi billionaire Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud has pledged one million Saudi Riyal (£222k) to each Al-Hilal player for reaching the Club World Cup Final and a further one million if they win the tournament.💰 pic.twitter.com/Lo6gOiPjlo
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) February 7, 2023
The Saudi club has the backing of Prince Alwaleed, the head of the Kingdom Holding Co 4280.SE, who has promised the players a comparable sum if they win the title on Saturday.
“…And my special gift to them for this historic achievement is one million riyals for each player.
And in the event of winning the final, they will have another special gift, which is one million riyals for each player.” he wrote.
Furthermore, the Saudi sports channel SSC reported that the country’s sports minister would award each player 500,000 Riyals for Flamengo’s victory.
Saudi Arabia’s sports minister, Prince Abdulaziz al-Faisal, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, “The win is a tangible confirmation of the great distinction that Saudi sports has recently experienced.”
The tournament’s title game will be played on Saturday at Morocco’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium between Al Hilal and Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid.
